Vaporizer device body

ABSTRACT

Features relating to a vaporizer body are provided. The vaporizer body may include an outer shell that includes an inner region defined by an outer shell sidewall. A support structure is configured to fit within the inner region of the outer shell. The support structure includes a storage region defined by a top support structure, a bottom support structure, a bottom cap, and a gasket. An integrated board assembly is configured to fit within the storage region of the support structure. The integrated board assembly may include a printed circuit board assembly formed of multiple layers that form a rigid structure and that include an inner, flexible layer. A first antenna is integrated at a proximal end of the flexible layer, and a second antenna is integrated at a distal end of the flexible layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNos. 62/677,598, filed May 29, 2018; 62/726,008, filed Aug. 31, 2018;62/725,872, filed Aug. 31, 2018; 62/725,964, filed Aug. 31, 2018;62/725,875, filed Aug. 31, 2018; 62/726,024, filed Aug. 31, 2018;62/738,874, filed Sep. 28, 2018; 62/802,598, filed Feb. 7, 2019;62/834,307, filed Apr. 15, 2019; and 62/835,988, filed Apr. 18, 2019.Each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The current subject matter described herein relates generally tovaporizer devices, such as portable, personal vaporizer devices forgenerating and delivering an inhalable aerosol from one or morevaporizable materials.

BACKGROUND

Vaporizing devices, including electronic vaporizers or e-vaporizerdevices, allow the delivery of vapor containing one or more activeingredients by inhalation of the vapor. Electronic vaporizer devices aregaining increasing popularity both for prescriptive medical use, indelivering medicaments, and for consumption of nicotine, tobacco, otherliquid-based substances, and other plant-based smokeable materials, suchas cannabis, including solid (e.g., loose-leaf) materials, solid/liquid(e.g., suspensions, liquid-coated) materials, wax extracts, andprefilled pods (cartridges, wrapped containers, etc.) of such materials.Electronic vaporizer devices in particular may be portable,self-contained, and convenient for use.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the current subject matter, a vaporizer bodyincludes an outer shell including an inner region defined by an outershell sidewall; a support structure configured to fit within the innerregion of the outer shell, the support structure including a storageregion defined by a top support structure, a bottom support structure, abottom cap, and a gasket; and an integrated board assembly configured tofit within the storage region of the support structure.

In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed hereinincluding the following features can optionally be included in anyfeasible combination. The integrated board assembly may include aprinted circuit board assembly including multiple layers that form arigid structure and include an inner, flexible layer; a first antennaintegrated at a proximal end of the flexible layer; and a second antennaintegrated at a distal end of the flexible layer. A planar surface ofthe first antenna may be oriented parallel to a front plate of aproximal end of the top support structure and the bottom supportstructure when connected. The first antenna may be positioned externalto the front plate. The first antenna may include a near-fieldcommunication antenna, and the second antenna may include a Bluetoothantenna. The integrated board assembly may include a controller mountedto an outer surface of the printed circuit board assembly. Theintegrated board assembly may include power pins coupled at the proximalend of the flexible layer, the power pins configured to connect to andprovide power to a cartridge. The integrated board assembly may includea connector printed circuit board assembly including second multiplelayers and including the inner, flexible layer, the second multiplelayers forming a second rigid structure, where the connector printedcircuit board assembly is proximate the distal end of the flexiblelayer; and a connector component coupled to the connector printedcircuit board assembly and configured to couple the vaporizer devicebody with one or more external devices. The vaporizer device body mayinclude a battery configured to fit along a portion of the flexiblelayer proximate the distal end and couple to the printed circuit boardassembly via a board-to-board connection. The top support structure mayinclude a first coupling feature; the bottom support structure mayinclude a second coupling feature that releasably couples to the firstcoupling feature to thereby releasably couple the bottom supportstructure to the top support structure; the bottom cap may include aninner cap region defined by a cap sidewall extending from a cap plate,and the bottom cap may be connected at a distal end of the top supportstructure and the bottom support structure when coupled; the gasket maybe installed at a proximal end of the top support structure and thebottom support structure when coupled; and the storage region may bedefined by the top support structure, the bottom support structure, thebottom cap, and the gasket when coupled. A proximal end of the innerregion may define a cartridge receptacle configured to mate andelectrically connect with a cartridge. The vaporizer device body mayinclude a pressure sensor coupled to the printed circuit board assembly;and the gasket may include a gasket sealing ring configured to form aseal with the pressure sensor to create a sealed chamber; and thepressure sensor may be configured to detect a change in pressure in thesealed chamber. The gasket may be further configured to provide a sealsurrounding power pins, where the power pins are coupled at the proximalend of the flexible layer, where the power pins are configured toconnect to and provide power to a cartridge. A portion of the bottom capmay include an antenna window configured to be aligned with the secondantenna. The vaporizer device body may include one or more lightemitting diodes coupled to the printed circuit board assembly; and alight pipe including a carriage unit and one or more individual lightpipe components releasably attached to the carriage unit, each of theone or more individual light pipe components configured to align with arespective one of the one or more light emitting diodes, where each ofthe one or more individual light pipe components are mounted through theouter shell sidewall, and where the carriage unit is discarded upon theone or more individual light pipe components being mounted. The one ormore individual light pipe components may be mounted flush with theouter shell sidewall. The vaporizer device body may include a hapticssystem configured to generate haptic feedback in response to at leastone control signal from the controller; where the haptics system ispositioned within a recess formed on a bottom surface of the top supportstructure and is coupled to the printed circuit board assembly viaspring contacts on the printed circuit board assembly. The printedcircuit board assembly may further include wireless communicationcontrol circuity configured to enable communication between thevaporizer device body and a subset of one or more remote devices throughone or more of the first antenna and the second antenna. One or morerespective air inlets may be formed in the outer shell sidewall and maybe configured to align with one or more air flow openings in a cartridgecoupled to the vaporizer device body. The printed circuit board assemblymay be snap-fitted within the bottom support structure.

According to another aspect of the current subject matter, a methodincludes: inserting an integrated board assembly into a bottom supportstructure, where the integrated board assembly includes a printedcircuit board assembly having multiple layers that form a rigidstructure and including an inner, flexible layer with a first antennaintegrated at a proximal end of the flexible layer and a second antennaintegrated at a distal end of the flexible layer, and further where theinserting is via engagement of the printed circuit board assembly withside snaps of the bottom support structure; connecting a haptics systeminto a recess formed within a top support structure; connecting the topsupport structure and the bottom support structure to one another suchthat the haptics system engages a contact on the printed circuit boardassembly; connecting a bottom cap to a distal end of the connected topand bottom support structure, where the bottom cap comprises an antennawindow configured to align with the second antenna; installing a gasketto a proximal end of the connected top and bottom support structure,such that a sealing ring of the gasket interfaces with an openingextending through the bottom support structure and with a pressuresensor coupled to the printed circuit board assembly; inserting theconnected top and bottom support structure within an outer shell; andmounting a light pipe in an opening through the outer shell such thatthe light pipe interfaces with a mating structure formed within thebottom support structure.

In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed hereinincluding the following features can optionally be included in anyfeasible combination. The first antenna may include a near-fieldcommunication antenna and the second antenna may include a Bluetoothantenna. The method may further include connecting a battery to theintegrated board assembly, where the battery is configured to fit alonga portion of the flexible layer proximate the distal end and couple tothe printed circuit board assembly via a board-to-board connection. Thetop support structure may include a first coupling feature; the bottomsupport structure may include a second coupling feature that releasablycouples to the first coupling feature to thereby releasably couple thebottom support structure to the top support structure, the bottomsupport structure further including a third coupling feature; and thebottom cap may include an inner cap region defined by a cap sidewallextending from a cap plate, the cap sidewall including a fourth couplingfeature that releasably couples to the third coupling feature toreleasably couple the bottom cap to the bottom support structure. One ormore light emitting diodes may be coupled to the printed circuit boardassembly; and the light pipe may include a carriage unit and one or moreindividual light pipe components releasably attached to the carriageunit, each of the one or more individual light pipe componentsconfigured to align with a respective one of the one or more lightemitting diodes.

The details of one or more variations of the subject matter describedherein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the descriptionbelow. Other features and advantages of the subject matter describedherein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from theclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matterdisclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain someof the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1A-FIG. 1F illustrate features of a vaporizer device including avaporizer body and a cartridge consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating features of a vaporizerdevice having a cartridge and a vaporizer body consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 3 illustrates communication between a vaporizer device, a userdevice, and a server consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter;

FIG. 4A is an exploded view illustrating features of a vaporizer bodyprior to assembly consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 4B is an exploded view illustrating features of an inner assemblyof a vaporizer body prior to assembly consistent with implementations ofthe current subject matter;

FIG. 4C-FIG. 4E illustrate internal features of an assembled vaporizerbody consistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 5A-FIG. 5F illustrate features of an integrated board assembly anda printed circuit board assembly of a vaporizer device consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 6A-FIG. 6C illustrate features of antenna designs incorporated in avaporizer device consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 7A-FIG. 7B and FIG. 8A-FIG. 8F illustrate illumination features ofa vaporizer device consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter;

FIG. 9A-FIG. 9E illustrate additional features of a vaporizer bodyconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 10A-FIG. 10B illustrate features of a battery incorporated in avaporizer device consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 11A-FIG. 11V illustrate various assembly steps of a vaporizer bodyconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 12 illustrates features of a cartridge of a vaporizer deviceconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 13 illustrates, via a cross-sectional view, features of a cartridgeof a vaporizer device consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter;

FIG. 14 illustrates, via an exploded view, features of a cartridge of avaporizer device consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 15A-FIG. 15B illustrate features of various seals incorporated in acartridge of a vaporizer device consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 16A-FIG. 16B illustrate features relating to volume of a cartridgereservoir consistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 17 illustrates features relating to assembly of a heater assemblyand internal connections in a cartridge, consistent with implementationsof the current subject matter;

FIG. 18 illustrates additional features relating to filling a cartridgewith a vaporizable material consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 19A-FIG. 19C illustrate features of various seals incorporated incartridge of a vaporizer device consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 20A-FIG. 20C illustrate air flow paths through a cartridge of avaporizer device consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 21A-FIG. 21B illustrate additional features of a cartridgeconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 22A-FIG. 22B illustrate features relating to filling a cartridgewith a vaporizable material consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 23A-FIG. 23B illustrate features of a near-field communication tagincorporated in a cartridge consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 24 is a series of diagrams illustrating assembly of a cartridgeconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 25 shows a process flowchart illustrating features of a processconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 26 shows a cross-sectional view of a cartridge taken along a planeshown by arrows A-A of FIG. 12 ;

FIG. 27 shows a fill path (arrow A) of vaporizable material entering thereservoir;

FIG. 28 is a block diagram illustrating aspects related to wirelesspower transfer and communication consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 29 shows a process flowchart illustrating features of a processconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 30A depicts a block diagram illustrating an example ofproportional-integral-derivative (PID) control consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 30B depicts a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a heatercontrol circuitry consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 30C depicts a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a heatercontrol circuitry consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 30D depicts a schematic diagram illustrating another example of aheater control circuitry consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter;

FIG. 31 depicts a flowchart illustrating a process for transitioning theoperation mode of a vaporizer device with implementations of the currentsubject matter;

FIG. 32A-FIG. 32H illustrate features of an integrated board assemblyand a support structure of a vaporizer device consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 33A-FIG. 33G illustrate features of an integrated board assemblyand a support structure of a vaporizer device consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 34A-FIG. 34F illustrate various features relating to a cartridgebody and a mouthpiece of a cartridge of a vaporizer device consistentwith implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 35A and FIG. 35B illustrate features of a cartridge body of acartridge of a vaporizer device consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter;

FIG. 36A and FIG. 36B illustrate features of a lower support structureand a cannula of a cartridge of a vaporizer device consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 37A illustrates features of a cartridge of a vaporizer deviceconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 37B-FIG. 37D illustrate features of a cartridge of a vaporizerdevice consistent with additional implementations of the current subjectmatter;

FIG. 38A-FIG. 38C illustrate features of a wireless transceiver of acartridge body of a cartridge of a vaporizer device consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter;

FIG. 39A-FIG. 39D illustrate features of a top support structure of aninner assembly of a vaporizer device consistent with implementations ofthe current subject matter; and

FIG. 40A and FIG. 40B illustrate features of a bottom cap of an innerassembly of a vaporizer device consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter.

When practical, similar reference numbers denote similar structures,features, or elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Implementations of the current subject matter are directed to avaporizer device body that is configured to couple to a cartridgecontaining a vaporizable material to produce a vaporized aerosol. Thevaporizer device body consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter includes a structural skeleton or support structure inwhich an integrated board assembly fits. The support structure fitswithin an outer shell. The integrated board assembly includes a printedcircuit board assembly on which one or more antennas are integrated. Theintegrated board assembly consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter provides for simplified manufacturing processes due tothe integrated features of the integrated board assembly.

A vaporizer device may vaporize a vaporizable material held in thereservoir of a cartridge. For example, the cartridge may include aheating coil wrapped around a wicking material drawing. Vaporizablematerial may be drawn from the reservoir and held in the wickingmaterial where it is vaporized by heat from the heating coil. As such,to vaporize the vaporizable material held in the wicking material, thevaporizer device may increase the temperature of the heating coil byallowing a battery to discharge to the heating coil. The flow of currentfrom the battery through the heating coil may generate heat, forexample, through resistive heating. However, the flow of current fromthe battery may require continuous adjustments in order for the heatingcoil to achieve and/or maintain an optimal temperature for vaporizingthe vaporizable material. Accordingly, in some example embodiments, thevaporizer device may include heater control circuitry configured todetermine the temperature of the heating coil and control the dischargeof the battery to the heating coil.

Implementations of the current subject matter include devices relatingto vaporizing of one or more materials for inhalation by a user. Theterm “vaporizer” may be used generically in the following descriptionand refers to a vaporizer device, such as, for example, an electronicvaporizer. Examples of vaporizers consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter include electronic vaporizers, electroniccigarettes, e-cigarettes, or the like. In general, such vaporizers areoften portable, hand-held devices that heat a vaporizable material toprovide an inhalable dose of the material.

Vaporizer devices consistent with the current subject matter may bereferred to by various terms such as, for example, inhalable aerosoldevices, aerosolizers, vaporization devices, electronic vaping devices,electronic vaporizers, vape pens, etc.

An apparatus and/or method consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter involves heating of a vaporizable material toresult in production of one or more gas-phase components of thevaporizable material. A vaporizable material may include liquid and/oroil-type plant materials. The gas-phase components of the vaporizablematerial may condense after being vaporized such that an aerosol isformed in a flowing air stream that is deliverable for inhalation by auser. Such vaporizer devices may in some implementations of the currentsubject matter be particularly adapted for use with an oil-basedvaporizable material, such as, for example, cannabis oils.

One or more features of the current subject matter, including one ormore of a cartridge (also referred to as vaporizer cartridges and pods)and a reusable vaporizer device body (also referred to as a vaporizerdevice base, a body, a base, etc.), may be employed with a suitablevaporizable material (where suitable refers in this context to beingusable with a device whose properties, settings, etc. are configured orconfigurable to be compatible for use with the vaporizable material).The vaporizable material can include one or more liquids, such as, forexample, oils, extracts, aqueous or other solutions, etc., of one ormore substances that may be desirably provided in the form of aninhalable aerosol.

In some implementations, the vaporizable material is cannabis oil.Cannabis oils may present particular challenges when vaporized using acartridge and a vaporizer device. For example, cannabis oil isrelatively sticky and viscous, particularly once it dries out. Thus,leakage may be a more serious consideration and challenge compared toother aqueous vaporizable materials. In particular, leakage of cannabisoil may result in clogging of the device and disturbing the electricalcomponents, particularly the electrical contacts. The dried oil may alsodisrupt the electrical control of the vaporizer device due to itselectrically insulating properties. The cartridges described herein mayprovide robust leak-resistant designs and may be configured to be usedwith viscous oil-based vaporizable materials, such as cannabis oil thatmay have a viscosity at room temperature of between about 40 cP and 113KcP.

Before providing additional details regarding the cartridge (alsoreferred to as a “pod”), the following provides a description of someexample of vaporizer devices.

FIGS. 1A-1F illustrates features of a vaporizer device 100 including avaporizer body 110 and a cartridge 150 consistent with implementationsof the current subject matter. FIG. 1A is a bottom perspective view, andFIG. 1B is a top perspective view of the vaporizer device 100 with thecartridge 150 separated from a cartridge receptacle 114 on the vaporizerbody 110. Both of the views in FIGS. 1A and 1B are shown looking towardsa mouthpiece 152 of the cartridge 150. FIG. 1C is a bottom perspectiveview, and FIG. 1D is a top perspective view of the vaporizer device withthe cartridge 150 separated from the cartridge receptacle 114 of thevaporizer body 110. FIGS. 1C and 1D are shown looking toward the distalend of the vaporizer body 110. FIG. 1E is a top perspective view, andFIG. 1F is a bottom perspective view of the vaporizer device 100 withthe cartridge 150 engaged for use with the vaporizer body 110.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-1D, the cartridge 150 includes, at the proximalend, a mouthpiece 152 that is attached over a cartridge body 156 thatforms a reservoir (or tank) 158 that holds a vaporizable material. Thecartridge body 156 may be transparent, translucent, opaque, or acombination thereof. The mouthpiece 152 may include one or more openings154 (see FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1F) at the proximal end out of which vapor may beinhaled, by drawing breath through the vaporizer device 100. The distalend of the cartridge body 156 may couple to and be secured to thevaporizer body 110 within the cartridge receptacle 114 of the vaporizerbody 110. Power pin receptacles 160 a,b (see FIGS. 1C, 1D) of thecartridge 150 mate with respective power pins (or contacts) 122 a,b(see, for example, FIG. 4B) of the vaporizer body 110 that extend intothe cartridge receptacle 114. The cartridge 150 also includes air flowinlets (or air flow openings) 162 a,b on the distal end of the cartridgebody 156.

A tag 164, such as a data tag, a near-field communication (NFC) tag, orother type of wireless transceiver or communication tag, may bepositioned on at least a portion of the distal end of the cartridge body156. As shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D, the tag 164 may substantially surroundthe power pin receptacles 160 a,b and the air flow inlets 162 a,b,although other configurations of the tag 164 may be implemented as well.For example, the tag 164 may be positioned between the power pinreceptacle 160 a and the power pin receptacle 160 b, or the tag 164 maybe shaped as a circle, partial circle, oval, partial oval, or anypolygonal shape encircling or partially encircling the power pinreceptacles 160 a,b and the air flow inlets 162 a,b or a portionthereof.

In the example of FIG. 1A, the vaporizer body 110 has an outer shell (orcover) 112 that may be made of various types of materials, including forexample aluminum (e.g., AL6063), stainless steel, glass, ceramic,titanium, plastic (e.g., Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Nylon,Polycarbonate (PC), Polyethersulfone (PESU), and the like), and anyhard, durable material. The proximal end of the vaporizer body 110includes an opening forming the cartridge receptacle 114, and the distalend of the vaporizer body 110 includes a connection 118, such as, forexample, a universal serial bus Type C (USB-C) connection and/or thelike. The cartridge receptacle 114 portion of the vaporizer body 110includes one or more air inlets (or openings) 116 a,b that extendthrough the outer shell 112 to allow airflow therein, as described inmore detail below. The vaporizer body 110 as shown has an elongated,flattened tubular shape that is curvature-continuous, although thevaporizer body 110 is not limited to such a shape. The vaporizer body110 may take the form of other shapes, such as, for example, arectangular box, a cylinder, and the like.

The cartridge 150 may fit within the cartridge receptacle 114 by afriction fit, snap fit, and/or other types of secure connection. Thecartridge 150 may have a rim, ridge, protrusion, and/or the like forengaging a complimentary portion of the vaporizer body 110. While fittedwithin the cartridge receptacle 114, the cartridge 150 may be heldsecurely within but still allow for being easily withdrawn to remove thecartridge 150.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating components of avaporizer device 100 having a cartridge 150 and a vaporizer body 110consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. Includedin the vaporizer body 110 is a controller 128 that includes at least oneprocessor and/or at least one memory configured to control and managevarious operations among the components of the vaporizer device 100described herein.

Heater control circuitry 130 of the vaporizer body 110 controls a heater166 of the cartridge 150. The heater 166 may generate heat to providevaporization of the vaporizable material. For example, the heater 166may include a heating coil (e.g., a resistive heater) in thermal contactwith a wick, as described in further detail below.

A battery 124 is included in the vaporizer body 110, and the controller128 may control and/or communicate with a voltage monitor 131 circuitryconfigured to monitor the battery voltage, a reset circuit 132configured to reset (e.g., shut down the vaporizer device 100 and/orrestart the vaporizer device 100 in a certain state), a battery charger133, and a battery regulator 134 (which may regulate the battery output,regulate charging/discharging of the battery, and provide alerts toindicate when the battery charge is low, etc.).

The power pins 122 a,b (see also FIG. 4B) of the vaporizer body 110engage complementary power pin receptacles 160 a,b of the cartridge 150when the cartridge 150 is engaged with the vaporizer body 110.Alternatively, the power pins may be part of the cartridge 150 forengaging complementary power pin receptacles of the vaporizer body 110.The engagement allows for the transfer of energy from an internal powersource (e.g., the battery 124) to the heater 166 in the cartridge 150.The controller 128 may regulate the power flow (e.g., an amount orcurrent and/or a voltage amount) to control a temperature at which theheater 166 heats a vaporizable material contained in the reservoir 158.According to implementations of the current subject matter, a variety ofelectrical connectors other than a pogo-pin and complementary pinreceptacle configuration may be used to electrically connect thevaporizer body 110 and the cartridge 150, such as for example, a plugand socket connector.

The controller 128 may control and/or communicate with optics circuitry135 (which controls and/or communicates with one or more displays suchas LEDs 136, an example of which are depicted at FIG. 5B), a pressuresensor 137, an ambient pressure sensor 138, an accelerometer 139, and/ora speaker 140 configured to generate sound or other feedback to a user.

The pressure sensor 137 may be configured to sense a user drawing (i.e.,inhaling) on the mouthpiece 152 and activate the heater controlcircuitry 130 of the vaporizer body 110 to accordingly control theheater 166 of the cartridge 150. In this way, the amount of currentsupplied to the heater 166 may be varied according the user's draw(e.g., additional current may be supplied during a draw, but reducedwhen there is not a draw taking place). The ambient pressure sensor 138may be included for atmospheric reference to reduce sensitivity toambient pressure changes and may be utilized to reduce false positivespotentially detected by the pressure sensor 137 when measuring drawsfrom the mouthpiece 152.

The accelerometer 139 (and/or other motion sensors, capacitive sensors,flow sensors, strain gauge(s), or the like) may be used to detect userhandling and interaction, for example, to detect movement of thevaporizer body 110 (such as, for example, tapping, rolling, and/or anyother deliberate movement associated with the vaporizer body 110). Thedetected movements may be interpreted by the controller 128 as one ormore predefined user commands. For example, one particular movement maybe a user command to gradually increase the temperature of the heater166 as the user intends to begin using the vaporizer device 100.

The vaporizer body 110, as shown in FIG. 2 , includes wirelesscommunication circuitry 142 that is connected to and/or controlled bythe controller 128. The wireless communication circuitry 142 may includea near-field communication (NFC) antenna that is configured to read fromand/or write to the tag 164 of the cartridge 150 and also automaticallydetect a cartridge 150. The wireless communication circuitry 142 mayinclude additional components/circuitry for other communication modes,such as, for example, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, and/or Wi-Fichips and associated circuitry (e.g., control circuitry), forcommunication with other devices. For example, the vaporizer body 110may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote processor(e.g., smartphone, tablet, wearable electronics, cloud server, and/orthe like) through the wireless communication circuitry 142, and throughthis communication may receive control information and/or configurationparameters (e.g., information or parameters for setting temperature(i.e., a predetermined temperature), setting a dose (i.e., apredetermined dose), resetting a dose counter, etc.) from and/ortransmit output information (e.g., dose information, operationalinformation, error information, temperature setting information,charge/battery information, etc.) to one or more of the remoteprocessors.

The tag 164, as previously described, may be a type of wirelesstransceiver and may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) 190, a memory191, and an antenna 192 (e.g., an NFC antenna) to perform the variousfunctionalities described below with further reference to FIG. 3 . Thetag 164 may be, for example, a 1 Kbit or a 2 Kbit NFC tag that is oftype ISO/IEC 15693. NFC tags with other specifications may also be used.

FIG. 3 illustrates communication between a vaporizer device 100(including the vaporizer body 110 and the cartridge 150), a user device305 (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop, and/or the like), and a remoteserver 307 (e.g., a server coupled to a network, a cloud server, and/orthe like) consistent with implementations of the current subject matter.The user device 305 wirelessly communicates with the vaporizer device100. A remote server 307 may communicate directly with the vaporizerdevice 100 or through the user device 305. The vaporizer body 110 maycommunicate with the user device 305 and/or the remote server 307through the wireless communication circuitry 142. In someimplementations, the cartridge 150 may establish communication with theuser device 305 and/or the remote server 307 through the tag 164.

An application software (“app”) running on at least one of the remoteprocessors (the user device 305 and/or the remote server 307) may beconfigured to control operational aspects of the vaporizer device 100and receive information relating to operation of the vaporizer device100. For example, the app may provide a user with capabilities to inputor set desired properties or effects, such as, for example, a particulartemperature or desired dose, which is then communicated to thecontroller 128 of the vaporizer body 110 through the wirelesscommunication circuitry 142. The app may also provide a user withfunctionality to select one or more sets of suggested properties oreffects that may be based on the particular type of vaporizable materialin the cartridge 150. For example, the app may allow adjusting heatingbased on the type of vaporizable material, the user's (of the vaporizerdevice 100) preferences or desired experience, and/or the like.

The app may allow a user to perform a hard-reset of the vaporizer device100. For example, a user may indicate through the app that the vaporizerdevice should be reset, which may cause the vaporizer device 100 to shutdown, which may be performed by the reset circuit 132. Followingshut-down, the vaporizer device 100 may enter a standby mode or mayresume operation, depending upon a variety of factors, such as forexample the reason (if known) for the reset.

The input and/or user selections may act as control signals for thecontroller 128 to perform a corresponding function (e.g., reach and holda defined temperature, provide a certain dose, reduce heat after acertain time period, reset, etc.). Likewise, the controller 128 maytransmit information, through the wireless communication circuitry 142,to one of the remote processors for display via the app. For example, asummary of use of the vaporizer device 100 throughout a day may betracked and sent to the user device 305.

Data read from the tag 164 from the wireless communication circuitry 142of the vaporizer body 110 may be transferred to one or more of theremote processors (e.g., the user device 305 and/or the remote server307) to which it is connected, which allows for the app running on theone or more processors to access and utilize the read data for a varietyof purposes. For example, the read data relating to the cartridge 150may be used for providing recommended temperatures, dose control, usagetracking, and/or assembly information.

Additionally, the cartridge 150 may communicate directly, through thetag 164, with one or more remote processors (e.g., the user device 305),such as, for example, a smartphone, tablet, assembly equipment, and/orfilling equipment. This enables data relating to the cartridge to bewritten to/read from the tag 164, without interfacing with the vaporizerbody 110. The tag 164 thus allows for identifying information related tothe cartridge 150 to be associated with the cartridge 150 by one or moreremote processors. For example, when the cartridge 150 is filled with acertain type of vaporizable material, this information may betransmitted to the tag 164 by filling equipment. Then, the vaporizerbody 110 is able to obtain this information from the tag 164 to identifythe vaporizable material currently being used and accordingly adjust thecontroller 128 based on, for example, user-defined criteria or pre-setconfiguration parameters associated with the particular type ofvaporizable material (set by a manufacturer or as determined based uponuser experiences/feedback aggregated from other users). For example, auser may establish (via the app) a set of criteria relating to desiredeffects for or usage of one or more types of vaporizable materials. Whena certain vaporizable material is identified, based on communication viathe tag 164, the controller 128 accordingly adopts the established setof criteria, which may include, for example, temperature and dose, forthat particular vaporizable material.

Other information related to the cartridge 150 may be transmitted to andstored on the tag 164, such as information relating to components of thecartridge 150, for example heating components. The controller 128 of thevaporizer body 110 may use this information to control a usage sessionfor a user. A manufacturer may thus transmit manufacturing informationto the tag 164 for storage for subsequent use by the controller 128 orother remote processors (e.g., the user device 305 and/or the remoteserver 307).

Types of data that may be stored on the tag 164 include manufacturingdata (e.g., tag serial number, tag manufacturer identifier, tag ICproduct code, cartridge serial number, cartridge hardware revision code,date of assembly, manufacture (MFG) lot code, MFG test equipment serialnumber (S/N), MFG test data (e.g., coil resistance, leak/flow rate test,cosmetic check, etc.), MFG test parameters, material logging (e.g., coiltype, wick type, etc.), and/or mass of empty cartridge); filler data(which may be added after the cartridge is filled with a vaporizablematerial, for example, batch identifier (ID), vendor ID, product ID,strain code, mass of filled cartridge, viscosity, default/min/maxtemperature setting, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content percentage (%),cannabidiol (CBD) %, terpene %, extraction method, and/or fill date);and/or usage data (e.g., total puffs taken, total puff time, drop count,total energy delivered to cartridge (joules), date of first/most recentpuff, cartridge lock (for locking cartridge to specific device/childlock), cartridge kill (initiating lock out of cartridge), min/maxtemperature set by user/device, min/max “baseline” resistance measured,count of bad connections (where cartridge did not properly dock andmeasure baseline resistance), and/or various device error codes). Aspreviously described, the data stored on the tag 164 may also includepre-set or user-established configuration parameters relating tooperation of the vaporizer body 110 with respect to the particularcartridge 150 and/or the particular type of vaporizable material (e.g.,a predetermined temperature and/or parameters associated with a dose).The tag data may be encrypted and/or hashed, and the tag 164 may bepassword protected.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the vaporizer body may include a haptics system144, such as, for example, an actuator, a linear resonant actuator(LRA), an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motor, or the like that providehaptic feedback such as, for example, a vibration as a “find my device”feature or as a control or other type of user feedback signal. Forexample, using an app running on a user device (such as, for example,the user device 305), a user may indicate that he/she cannot locatehis/her vaporizer device 100. Through communication via the wirelesscommunication circuitry 142, the controller 128 sends a signal to thehaptics system 144, instructing the haptics system 144 to provide hapticfeedback (e.g., a vibration). The controller 128 could additionally oralternatively provide a signal to the speaker 140 to emit a sound orseries of sounds. The haptics system 144 and/or speaker 140 may alsoprovide control and usage feedback to the user of the vaporizer device100; for example, providing haptic and/or audio feedback when aparticular amount of a vaporizable material has been used or when aperiod of time since last use has elapsed. Alternatively oradditionally, haptic and/or audio feedback may be provided as a usercycles through various settings of the vaporizer device 100.Alternatively or additionally, the haptics system 144 and/or speaker 140may signal when a certain amount of battery power is left (e.g., a lowbattery warning and recharge needed warning) and/or when a certainamount of vaporizable material remains (e.g., a low vaporizable materialwarning and/or time to replace the cartridge).

The vaporizer body 110 also includes the connection (e.g., USB-Cconnection, micro-USB connection, and/or other types of connectors) 118for coupling the vaporizer body to a charger to enable charging thebattery 124. Alternatively or additionally, electrical inductivecharging (also referred to as wireless charging) may be used, in whichcase the vaporizer body 110 would include inductive charging circuitryto enable charging. The connection 118 at FIG. 2 may also be used for adata connection between a computing device and the controller 128, whichmay facilitate development activities such as, for example, programmingand debugging, for example.

The vaporizer body 110 may also include a memory 146 that is part of thecontroller 128 or is in communication with the controller 128. Thememory 146 may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory or providedata storage. In some implementations, the memory 146 may include 8 Mbitof flash memory, although the memory is not limited to this and othertypes of memory may be implemented as well.

FIG. 4A is an exploded, bottom perspective view looking toward thedistal end of the vaporizer body 110 prior to assembly consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter. FIG. 4B is an exploded,top perspective view illustrating features of an inner assembly 111 ofthe vaporizer body 110 (looking toward the distal end of the vaporizerbody 110) prior to assembly consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter. FIGS. 4C-4E illustrate internal features of thevaporizer body 110 in an assembled form consistent with implementationsof the current subject matter;

With reference to FIG. 4A, an exploded view of the vaporizer body 110,prior to assembly, is provided. As described above with reference toFIGS. 1A-1F, the vaporizer body 110 has an outer shell (or cover) 112that may have (as shown) an elongated, flattened tubular shape that iscurvature-continuous, although the vaporizer body 110 is not limited tosuch a shape as described above. The outer shell 112 includes an innerregion 112 a defined by the sidewall of the outer shell 112. The innerassembly 111 of the vaporizer body 110 is provided and is sized andshaped to fit within the inner region 112 a of the outer shell 112. Forexample, the inner assembly 111 may slide or otherwise securely (e.g.,snugly) fit into or within the inner region 112 a of the outer shell112.

A light pipe 147 may be provided to mount in a surface of the outershell 112 and aid in securing the inner assembly 111 to the outer shell112. The light pipe 147 may include one or more individual light pipecomponents 117 (attached to a carriage unit 147 a described in greaterdetail elsewhere in the specification) sized and shaped to fit withincorresponding openings 119 formed through the surface of the outer shell112 and to be secured within a mating structure 113 with correspondingrecesses 817 formed on a surface of the inner assembly 111. Thus whenthe inner assembly 111 is inserted (e.g., slid) within the outer shell112 such that the openings 119 align with the recesses 817, the lightpipe 147 may be mounted to secure the inner assembly 111 and the outershell 112 to one another, as further described below with reference toFIGS. 8A-8F. Although four individual light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d,corresponding to openings 119 a,b,c,d, and corresponding recesses 817a,b,c,d are shown, the vaporizer body 110 is not limited to this numberor this configuration and any other configuration of light pipecomponents 117, openings 119, and recesses 817 may be provided. Forexample, the light pipe components 117 may vary in number, size, andshape to form various types of patterns and arrangements.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the inner assembly 111 includes outer structuralsupports 120 a, 120 b, and 120 c and gasket 115. With reference to FIG.4B, an exploded view of the inner assembly 111, prior to assembly, isprovided. A top support structure 120 a, a bottom support structure 120,a bottom cap 120 c, and the gasket 115 are provided to form a supportstructure of the inner assembly 111 and form a storage region in whichvarious components for operation of the vaporizer body 110 with thecartridge 150 are positioned. The connection of the various componentswithin the support structure and the connection of the top supportstructure 120 a, the bottom support structure 120, the bottom cap 120 c,and the gasket 115 are described with reference to FIGS. 11A-11V inaccordance with one implementation of the current subject matter.

The top support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure 120 bare two opposing halves of the support structure of the inner assembly111. Both the top and bottom support structures 120 a, 120 b have anelongate shape that when joined together mirrors or substantiallymirrors the elongated, flattened tubular shape of the outer shell 112 toprovide a secure fit within the inner region 112 a. The top and bottomsupport structures 120 a, 120 b may have other shapes, such as arectangular or other profile, that fits within the inner region 112 a.Various openings, such as lengthwise-extending openings 120 e, 120 f,120 g, may be formed along various portions of the top and bottomsupport structures 120 a, 120 b. These openings may help preventinternal components from over-heating (e.g., the openings provide airflow in and around internal components), and may be of various shapesand dimensions, such as for example narrow slits and/or wider andshorter openings (e.g., rectangular or circular openings). In someembodiments, one or both of the top and bottom support structures 120 a,120 b do not have openings and are solid, lengthwise-extending supportpieces. In other implementations, additional openings in the top andbottom support structures 120 a, 120 b may be provided.

The bottom cap 120 c includes an inner cap region 120 d defined by a capsidewall extending from a cap plate. An opening 118 a is formed throughthe cap plate of the bottom cap 120 c. A distal end of the top andbottom support structures 120 a, 120 b when connected are configured tofit within the inner cap region 120 d. One or more portions of the capsidewall may be an antenna window 141 configured to align with a secondantenna 149 when the inner assembly 111 is in an assembledconfiguration.

The gasket 115 has a sealing ring 115 a and is configured to beinstalled at a proximal end of the top and bottom support structures 120a, 120 b when connected, where the sealing ring 115 a interfaces withthe opening 115 h extending through the bottom support structure 120 b.The gasket 115 is further described below with reference to FIGS. 11Sand 11T.

As shown in FIG. 4B, an integrated board assembly 400, configured to fitwithin the storage region defined by the outer structural supports 120a, 120 b, 120 c, and 115, is a rigid-flexible assembly with a firstantenna 143 (such as an integrated near-field communication (NFC)antenna) and the second antenna 149 (such as an integrated Bluetoothantenna). This design combines a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA)126, the power pins 122 a,b, the connection 118 (such as a USB-Cconnection) on a connector PCBA 127, and the first and the secondantennae 143 and 149 into a single part that provides for more usableboard space as well as a simple assembly. This design may advantageouslyeliminate the need for a coaxial cable or other connector, commonly usedto join a flexible circuit containing a USB connector, such as forexample a micro-USB, to a main circuit board to transmit charging powerfrom the USB port to charging circuitry on the main circuit board. Thisdesign also advantageously eliminates additional connectors for thefirst and the second antennae 143 and 149 to the PCBA 126.

As further shown in FIG. 4B, a flexible layer 402, which is an innerlayer of the PCBAs 126, 127, extends between and from the PCBAs 126,127. The first antenna 143 is integrated at a proximal end 402 a of theflexible layer 402, and the second antenna 149 is integrated at a distalend 402 b of the flexible layer 402. As shown in FIG. 4B, and accordingto one implementation, the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402may extend from a side region of the PCBA 126, and may include asideward extending portion and a forward extending portion at about 90degrees with respect to the sideward extending portion. The distal end402 b of the flexible layer 402 may extend from a side portion of theconnector PCBA 127. Other configurations are possible for either or boththe proximal end 402 a and the distal end 402 b of the flexible layer402. For example, the proximal end 402 a may extend from a proximal(e.g., front) end of the PCBA 126, as described below with respect toFIGS. 32A-32H.

The PCBA 126 is adjacent the proximal end 402 a, and the connector PCBA127 is adjacent the distal end 402 b. The PCBAs 126, 127 are comprisedof multiple layers that together form a rigid assembly with top andbottom layers on which various components (described in detail herein)may be mounted.

The power pins 122 a,b are coupled (e.g., soldered) to the proximal end402 a of the flexible layer 402 at the first antenna 143 (e.g., anear-field communication antenna) to engage complementary power pinreceptacles 160 a,b of a cartridge 150 when the cartridge 150 is engagedwith the vaporizer body 110 (as described above with reference to FIGS.1A-1F and 2 ). The engagement allows for the transfer of energy from aninternal power source (e.g., the battery 124) to the heater 166 in thecartridge 150.

A connector component (e.g., the connection 118, such as, for example, auniversal serial bus Type C (USB-C) connection and/or the like) iscoupled to the connector PCBA 127 and configured to connect thevaporizer device body with one or more external devices (e.g., acharger, a computing device, a light source, a fan, etc. that mayprovide power). The connection 118 aligns with the opening 118 a formedthrough the cap plate of the bottom cap 120 c when the inner assembly111 is assembled.

Also shown in FIG. 4B is the battery 124, which is configured to fitalong a portion of the flexible layer 402 of the integrated boardassembly 400, proximate to the connection 118, and coupled to the PCBA126 via a board-to-board connection, as described in greater detail withreference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

Additional components of the inner assembly 111 shown in FIG. 4B includean antenna adhesive 404 configured to assist in securing the secondantenna 149 within the inner assembly 111; and a foam piece 406configured to assist in securing in place the battery 124 via batteryconnector point 124 a to a battery connector 125 on the PCBA 126 (asdescribed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 10A-10B and11E-11G), each of which are described with reference to the assemblydiagrams in FIGS. 11A-11V.

The configuration of the inner assembly 111 and the integrated boardassembly 400 shown in FIG. 4B is one example configuration. Otherconfigurations, including alternate layouts of some of the components,are possible, such as that shown and described with respect to FIGS.32A-32H.

FIGS. 4C, 4D, and 4E provide partial internal views of the vaporizerbody 110 (internal to the outer shell 112) in an assembled configurationconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter. Someportions of the outer structural supports 120 a, 120 b, and 120 c areremoved or shaded to better illustrate placement of the various internalcomponents. FIGS. 4C and 4D are top perspective views of the vaporizerbody 110, and FIG. 4E is a bottom perspective view of the vaporizer body110. A cartridge 150 is shown inserted into the cartridge receptacle 114in FIG. 4C, while FIGS. 4D and 4E illustrate the vaporizer body 110without a cartridge inserted. FIGS. 4C, 4D, and 4E illustrate placementof the battery 124 with respect to the PCBA 126, the connection 118, andthe connector PCBA 127. Also shown are portions of the PCBA 126(described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5A-5D), connection of thehaptics system 144 (e.g., a LRA), and placement of the individual lightpipe components 117 a,b,c,d of the light pipe 147.

FIGS. 5A and 5C illustrate details, via a top view and a bottom viewrespectively, of the integrated board assembly 400, according to someaspects of the current subject matter. FIGS. 5B and 5D illustratedetails, via a top view and a bottom view respectively, of the PCBA 126consistent with some implementations of the current subject matter. FIG.5E illustrates a close-up view of a top portion of the PCBA 126.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, spring contacts 145 a,b (such as, forexample, pogo pins, although other types of pins, contacts, etc. may beused as well) on the PCBA 126 are provided for connection with thehaptics system 144. FIG. 5F provides a close-up view of the hapticssystem 144 with connection pads 144 a,b that are configured to contactthe spring contacts 145 a,b, as shown in the top perspective view of aportion of the PCBA 126 in FIG. 5E.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, optics circuitry 135 may be provided and isconfigured for controlling and/or communicating with one or more LEDs136 a,b,c,d (shown in the bottom views of FIGS. 5C and 5D). The batteryconnector 125 is provided for connection with a battery 124. Resetcircuit 132, battery charger 133, and wireless communication circuitry142 are provided on the top portion of the PCBA 126.

The second antenna 149 (e.g., a Bluetooth antenna) is positioned nearthe distal end of the integrated board assembly 400. The connection 118and the connector PCBA 127 are also at the distal end of the flexiblelayer 402 (at 402 b).

The first antenna 143 is at the proximal end of the flexible layer 402(at 402 a), which is proximate the position of the tag 164, when thecartridge 150 is engaged with the vaporizer body 110 in which the PCBA126 is positioned. The power pins 122 a,b are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5Cand are coupled to the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402 atthe first antenna 143.

Shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, on the bottom portion or layer of the PCBA 126are the controller 128, the LEDs 136 a,b,c,d, the pressure sensor 137,the ambient pressure sensor 138, and the accelerometer 139. The memory146 may also be provided on the bottom portion or layer of the PCBA 126,as shown in FIG. 5D.

The PCBA 126 may be of various shapes and sizes and is not limited tothe particular configurations shown in FIGS. 5A-5E. For example, theindividual components may be situated in a variety of configurations onthe PCBA 126, and the PCBA 126 itself may be of a variety of shapes andsizes to fit within the inner region of the inner assembly 111.

FIG. 6A is a top perspective view of a portion of the vaporizer body 110looking towards the distal end of the vaporizer body 110, illustratingfeatures of the second antenna such as the second antenna 149 consistentwith implementations described herein. As described above, the secondantenna 149 is integrated within the integrated board assembly 400 andassembled within the inner assembly 111. An antenna window 141 may beformed along one or more sidewalls of the bottom cap 120 c. When theinner assembly 111 is in an assembled configuration, in which the bottomcap 120 c is connected with the top and the bottom support structures120 a, 120 b to provide a support structure for the inner assembly 111,the antenna window 141 may align or partially align with the secondantenna 149. When the inner assembly 111 is inserted within the outershell 112, the antenna window 141 may fit within a cut-out region 112 bof the outer shell 112. The antenna window 141 may be a material, suchas for example plastic, that provides for improved radiation of signalsto and from the second antenna 149 compared with other materials, suchas metal, that can block signals. The antenna window 141 may be made ofother materials that are electromagnetically transparent to the radiofrequencies being transmitted/received, which in this example areBluetooth.

FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate features of an alternative second antenna 649such as a Bluetooth antenna. In this alternative, the alternative secondantenna 649 is traced with laser direct structuring (LDS) on one or moreportions of the support structure, such as the top support structure 120a, the bottom support structure 120 b, and/or the bottom cap 120 c, atthe distal end of the vaporizer body 110 and may be covered with a hardouter coating, such as, for example, an ultraviolet (UV) hard coat. Thetrace of the alternative second antenna 649 continues along the lengthof the vaporizer body 110 to a controller (not shown in this view). Atleast a portion of the trace is on the exterior of the vaporizer body toenable transmission and/or reception of the radio frequencies beingtransmitted/received, which in this example are Bluetooth.

Although FIGS. 5A-6C depict certain configurations of the first antenna,the second antenna, and the power pins, other configurations may be usedas well.

In some implementations, the light pipe 147 including individual lightpipe components 117 is mounted in the surface of an outer shell 112 andin alignment over one or more LEDs 136 of the PCBA 126 to distribute thelight provided by the LEDs 136, which may provide visual indicators forsignaling, for example, operation status of the vaporizer device 100(e.g., temperature, battery levels, etc.) or for other purposes, such asfor example a variety of games that may be played on the vaporizerdevice 100. In some implementations, the light pipe 147 may be flushwith the surface of the outer shell 112, but may in otherimplementations be mounted to project above or alternatively to berecessed below the surface of the outer shell 112. FIGS. 7A and 7Billustrate features, via a bottom view, of an exemplary light pipe 147with individual light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d. The outer surface ofthe light pipe 147 may be a reflective and/or metallic finish. When theLEDs 136 are off (FIG. 7A), the surface of the light pipe 147 may appearto be reflective. When the LEDs 136 are on (FIG. 7B), the light of theLEDs 136 shines through the light pipe 147.

While the light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d and the LEDs 136 are shownin a specific pattern, implementations of the current subject matter arenot so limited. Fewer or additional LEDs, and a corresponding light pipestructure, may be incorporated in various patterns, arrangements, sizes,and shapes.

FIGS. 8A-8F illustrate manufacturing and assembly features of the lightpipe 147. Shown in a top perspective view of FIG. 8A is a carriage unit147 a to which individual light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d of the lightpipe 147 are releasably attached. FIGS. 8B-8D are bottom, perspective,cross-sectional views of a vaporizer body 110 illustrating placement ofthe individual light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d within the outer shell112 and the inner assembly 111 (see also FIG. 4A). FIG. 8E is a topperspective view of a portion of the bottom support structure 120 b, andFIG. 8F is a top view of the bottom support structure.

In particular, the light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d correspond in sizeand shape to openings 119 a,b,c,d of the outer shell 112 and recesses817 a,b,c,d of the mating structure 113 which is, consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter, part of an upper surfaceof the bottom support structure 120 b of the inner assembly 111. Whenthe inner assembly 111 is inserted (e.g., slid) within the outer shell112 such that the openings 119 a,b,c,d align with the recesses 817a,b,c,d, the light pipe 147 may be mounted, which aids in securing theinner assembly 111 and the outer shell 112 to one another. The lightpipe 147 may be placed into or inserted such that the light pipecomponents 117 a,b,c,d are placed within the openings 119 a,b,c,d on theouter shell 112 and the recesses 817 a,b,c,d of the mating structure113. Slight pressure placed on the light pipe 147, to press the lightpipe components 117 a,b,c,d into their respective openings, causes thelight pipe 147 to break away from the carriage unit 147 a. The carriageunit 147 a may be discarded, and the individual light pipe components117 a,b,c,d are flush-mounted within the outer shell 112 viainstallation as one unit.

Each recess 817 a,b,c,d of the mating structure 113 may include one ormore crush ribs 818, as shown in FIGS. 8E and 8F, on internal sideportions that push against the respective light pipe component 117 tohold it in place after assembly. For example, each recess 817 a,b,c,dmay include eight crush ribs 818 spaced around the inner circumferenceof each recess 817 a,b,c,d, as shown in FIGS. 8E and 8F. Fewer oradditional crush ribs 818 may be incorporated to aid in securing thelight pipe components 117 a,b,c,d within respective recesses 817a,b,c,d. Additionally, consistent with some implementations of thecurrent subject matter, an upward extending edge 819 a,b,c,d (forexample, a lip) may extend around a portion of the upper circumferenceof each recess 817 a,b,c,d. As shown in FIG. 8E, the upward extendingedge 819 a,b,c,d may have a sloped surface extending upward and outwardfrom the upper circumference of each recess 817 a,b,c,d. The upwardextending edge 819 a,b,c,d may aid in installation of the light pipecomponents 117 a,b,c,d to achieve a smooth or flat position with respectto the outer shell 112.

The light pipe design according to implementations of the currentsubject matter advantageously reduces crosstalk between the variousindividual light pipe components 117 a,b,c,d as each one is discretefrom the others after installation.

FIG. 9A is a perspective, right-side view illustrating features of avaporizer body 110 consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter. As shown, the air inlet 116 b may be a slot that extendslengthwise along the side of the outer shell 112. The slot may beconfigured as a long, relatively narrow aperture as shown at FIG. 9A. Inthe example of FIG. 9A, the slot forms an opening having two parallelsides which meet at both ends to form the slot. The air inlet 116 a,opposite the air inlet 116 b, can have a similar or equivalentconfiguration, or the air inlet 116 a can have a different configurationfrom that of the air inlet 116 b. The orientation and size of the airinlets 116 a,b may allow for a user to adjust air flow through thevaporizer device 100 by placing a finger over at least a portion of theair inlets 116 a,b. The user can stop or restrict air flow through thevaporizer device 100 by completely or partially covering the air inlets116 a,b. Air flow enters the vaporizer device 100 through the air inlets116 a,b and flows through the cartridge 150, as described elsewhereherein with respect to the cartridge 150.

Although FIG. 9A depicts a slot for the air inlet 116 b, other sizesand/or shapes of the air inlets 116 a,b may be used as well. Forexample, the air inlets 116 a,b may be a thicker rectangular shape (withthe long edges oriented parallel, perpendicular, or at an angle withrespect to the length of the vaporizer body 110). Alternatively, the airinlets 116 a,b may be a circle, an oval, a square, or any type ofpolygon. FIGS. 9D and 9E illustrate, via a perspective, right-side viewof the vaporizer body 110 and a right-side view of the vaporizer body110 respectively, a slot for the air inlet 116 b having two parallelopposing lengthwise oriented sides with curved ends to connect thesides.

In an implementation, the air inlets 116 a,b may be circular with adiameter of from about 0.2 mm to about 4.0 mm, from about 0.5 mm toabout 2.0 mm, from about 0.6 mm to about 1.5 mm, from about 0.7 mm toabout 1.35 mm, from about 0.8 mm to about 1.0 mm, or about 0.85 mm. Inanother implementation, the air inlets 116 a,b may be rectangular slotswith a width of about 0.3 mm to about 0.8 mm, about 0.4 mm to about 0.7mm, or about 0.5 mm to about 0.6 mm; and a length of about 0.8 mm toabout 4.0 mm, about 1.0 mm to about 3.8 mm, about 1.5 mm to about 3.3mm, or about 2.0 mm to about 2.8 mm. In yet another implementation, theair inlets 116 a,b may be rectangular slots with a width of about 0.80mm and a length of about 1.0 mm to about 2.0 mm. Various other sizes,orientations, and shapes may be utilized, consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter. In some implementations,the air inlets 116 a,b may include a plurality of individual air slots.For example, the air inlet 116 a may be a grouping of circular, square,rectangular, triangular, oval, and/or other-shaped air slots arranged ina variety of configurations.

FIGS. 9B and 9C illustrate features (via top perspective views lookingtoward the distal end) of a connector component (e.g., connection 118,such as, for example, a universal serial bus Type C (USB-C) connectionand/or the like). The connection 118 may be formed of, for example,black nickel plating to create a uniform appearance with the bottom cap120 c with which the connection 118 is aligned. The connection 118 mayinclude an outer shell 118 b with connection points 118 c that allow forsoldering to the connector PCBA 127. For example, the outer shell 118 band the connection points 118 c may be formed of standard nickel platingthat allows for better soldering to the connector PCBA 127. Othermaterials for the connection 118 and the outer shell 118 b with theconnection points 118 c may be used.

FIGS. 10A-10B illustrate (via top perspective views) features of thebattery 124 configured to be incorporated in the vaporizer body 110consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. FIG. 10Ashows the battery 124, and FIG. 10B illustrates the battery 124connected to the PCBA 126. As shown in FIG. 5A, The battery connector125 is provided on a top surface of the PCBA 126 for connection with thebattery 124 via the battery connector point 124 a. The battery connecter125 may conveniently replace a solder connection for connecting thebattery to the PCBA 126. Although the battery 124 can be located inother locations, the battery placement at the opposite end from theheater 166 may avoid issues related to overheating the battery. Thebattery connector 125 can also allow for the controller 128 tocommunicate with a battery fuel gauge to determine battery level,battery health/faults, battery temperature, discharge/charge current,battery voltage, and the like.

Consistent with some implementations of the current subject matter, thebattery 124 may be a high energy density battery with over current andthermal protection, under voltage lockout, fuel gauge, and a protectioncircuit module (PCM) 1240 (attached to a PCM board 1242) that maydisconnect the battery 124 in over voltage or over current events. Thebattery 124 may be a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer (LiPo) batterywith a fast charge mode, such as a 2C charge mode, and/or may have abattery capacity of, for example, from about 274 mAh to about 280 mAh. Avariety of other types of batteries with other specifications may beutilized for the vaporizer device 100, consistent with implementationsof the current subject matter.

FIGS. 11A-11V illustrate various assembly steps of the vaporizer body110 consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. Aspreviously noted, the inner assembly 111 has a support structure forsecurely holding various components within the outer shell 112. Thesupport structure may include the bottom support structure 120 b, thetop support structure 120 a, the bottom cap 120 c, and the gasket 115.FIG. 11A provides an example overview of the assembly of the vaporizerbody 110 from a top perspective viewpoint. As initial steps, theintegrated board assembly 400 is snapped or otherwise fitted into thebottom support structure 120 b, the battery 124 is connected to theintegrated board assembly 400, and the haptics system (e.g., LRA) 144 issnapped or otherwise inserted into and secured within the top supportstructure 120 a (the interior or bottom side of the top supportstructure 120 a is shown). The top support structure 120 a and thebottom support structure 120 b are then snapped or otherwise connectedtogether. The bottom cap 120 c, which can include an antenna window 141for the second antenna 149, is snapped on to the assembled structure(i.e., the top and the bottom support structures 120 a, 120 b connectedtogether). The gasket 115 is installed at a proximal end of theassembled structure (i.e., the top and the bottom support structures 120a, 120 b connected together), the entirety of which can then be slidinto an outer shell 112. Finally, the light pipe 147 may be added, asdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 8A-8D.

FIGS. 11B-D provide views of the integrated board assembly 400 beinginserted into the bottom support structure 120 b consistent with someimplementations of the current subject matter. FIG. 11B is a topperspective view indicating placement of the integrated board assembly400 with respect to the bottom support structure 120 b, and FIG. 11C isa top perspective view of the integrated board assembly 400 in thebottom support structure 120 b. First, the proximal end 402 a of theflexible layer 402, at which the first antenna 143 and the power pins122 a,b are integrated, is folded 180 degrees, as indicated in FIG. 11B.In an alternative implementation, the proximal end 402 a may be orientedin such a way that it does not need to be folded (e.g., the proximal end402 a extends from the proximal end of the flexible layer 402).

The PCBA 126 portion of the integrated board assembly 400 is snappedinto the bottom support structure 120 b by engaging side snaps 1102 a,bthat extend upward from respective side portions of the bottom supportstructure 120 b, as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C. The side snaps 1102 a,bare depressed by a force applied to the PCBA 126 when in contact withthe side snaps 1102 a,b, and the side snaps 1102 a,b release to extendover side portions of the PCBA 126 when the PCBA 126 is forced below theside snaps 1102 a,b. An internal front snap 1102 c may also be providedto secure a proximal end of the PCBA 126, as shown in FIG. 11C. Locatingbosses 1104 a,b, extending upward from respective side portions of thebottom support structure 120 b, may also be provided. The locatingbosses 1104 a,b are vertically-extending posts that fit within acorresponding cut-out region of the PCBA 126.

The quantity and location of side snaps 1102 and locating bosses 1104may vary, and fewer or additional of each may be provided. In someimplementations, side snaps are not required and the PCBA 126 is placedwithin the bottom support structure 120 b. In some implementations, thelocating bosses 1104 are not provided. In some implementations,additional side snaps 1102 are provided near, for example, the proximalend of the bottom support structure 120 b.

As shown in the front view looking towards the proximal end of thebottom support structure 120 b of FIG. 11D, the proximal end of thebottom support structure 120 b may have a teeth configuration includingalternating valleys 1110 a,b,c,d,e and peaks 1108 a,b,c,d, which may besized and shaped to hold the power pins 122 a,b in valleys 1110 b,d,respectively. Side snaps 1106 may be formed on each side of the valleys1110 b,d. When the integrated board assembly 400 is inserted into thebottom support structure 120 b, the side snaps 1106 may be engaged bythe respective power pins, causing the power pins 122 a,b to be pushedbelow the side snaps 1106, which serve to secure the power pins 122 a,bwithin the respective valleys 1110 b,d.

FIGS. 11E-11G provide views of the battery 124 being connected to theintegrated board assembly 400 within the bottom support structure 120 b.FIG. 11E is a top perspective view indicating placement of the battery124 with respect to the bottom support structure 120 b. FIG. 11F is atop perspective view of the battery 124 being connected to the PCBA 126in the bottom support structure 120 b, while FIG. 11G is across-sectional, bottom perspective view illustrating connection of thebattery 124 on the PCBA 126.

A bottom liner on a bottom portion of the battery 124 may be provided toprotect an adhesive portion on the bottom portion of the battery 124.The bottom liner is removed and the battery connector point 124 a ispressed into the battery connector 125 on the PCBA 126 to ensure aproper engagement (see FIG. 11F). As shown in FIG. 11G, a board support1114 may extend upward from the bottom support structure 120 b to engagethe portion of the PCBA 126 where the battery connector 125 is located.

The battery 124 is seated into an opening 1112 in the bottom supportstructure 120 b sized and shaped to hold the battery 124, and a forcemay be applied to adhere the adhesive portion of the battery 124 to thebottom support structure 120 b.

A bottom liner from the foam piece 406 is removed, and the foam piece406 is adhered to a top side of the battery connector point 124 a. Thefoam piece 406 may serve to fill a gap above the battery connector point124 a and also serve to keep in place the connection between the batteryconnector point 124 a and the battery connector 125. An additional foampiece may be provided to sit on and adhere to a top surface of thebattery 124. Such an additional foam piece may be approximately the samesize of the upper surface of the battery 124 or may be of a slightlysmaller or larger size with similar lengthwise and widthwiseproportions. The additional foam piece may help ensure that the battery124 stays in place during use of the vaporizer device 100.

FIG. 11H illustrates the connection of the haptics system (e.g., LRA)144 into the top support structure 120 a. FIG. 11H is a bottomperspective view indicating placement of the haptics system 144 withrespect to the top support structure 120 a. A cavity 1116 a defined by asidewall 1116 extending upward from an inner portion of the top supportstructure 120 a is provided, and is sized and shaped to hold within thehaptics system 144. A bottom liner from the haptics system 144 may beprovided and removed to expose an adhesive portion, and the hapticssystem 144 may be snapped into the cavity 1116 a by engaging side snaps1117 a,b that extend upward from the sidewall 1116. The side snaps 1117a,b are depressed by a force applied to the haptics system 144 when incontact with the side snaps 1117 a,b, and the side snaps 1117 a,brelease to extend over side portions of the haptics system 144 when thehaptics system 144 is forced below the side snaps 1117 a,b. A force maybe applied to adhere the adhesive portion of the haptics system 144 tothe inner portion of the top support structure 120 a. In someimplementations, the adhesive portion is not provided. In someimplementations, the side snaps 1117 a,b are not provided, while inother implementations, fewer or additional side snaps may be included.

FIGS. 11I-11L provide views of the top support structure 120 a and thebottom support structure 120 b being snapped together. FIG. 11I is a topperspective view indicating placement of the top support structure 120 aand the bottom support structure 120 b with respect to one another. Oneor more outer side snaps 1122 a,b may extend vertically downward from anouter perimeter of the top support structure 120 a and may be configuredto engage respective side tabs 1124 a,b that extend outward from anouter perimeter of the bottom support structure 120 b. When a force isapplied to the top support structure 120 a, the side tabs 1124 a,b causethe outer side snaps 1122 a,b to deflect outward and engage the sidetabs 1124 a,b (as shown in FIG. 11I and the top perspective view in FIG.11J). Although one side of the top and the bottom support structures 120a, 120 b is shown, the other side may have equivalent snaps and tabs.Moreover, in some embodiments, fewer or additional snaps/tabs may beincorporated.

With reference to FIG. 11K (a front view looking towards the proximalends of the top support structure 120 and the bottom support structure120 b), the proximal end of the top support structure 120 a may have ateeth configuration configured to align and mate with that of theproximal end of the bottom support structure 120 b (described withreference to FIG. 11D). In particular, an alternating peak 1120a,b,c,d,e of the top support structure 120 a may securely fit within acorresponding valley 1110 a,b,c,d,e of the bottom support structure 120b, and an alternating peak 1108 a,b,c,d of the bottom support structure120 b may securely fit within a corresponding valley 1118 a,b,c,d of thetop support structure 120 a. When the top support structure 120 a andthe bottom support structure 120 b are aligned, the corresponding teethconfigurations are thus matched. The peaks 1120 b,d correspond to thepositioning of the power pins 122 a,b in valleys 1110 b,d. The peaks1120 b,d are sized and shaped to fit above the power pins 122 a,b andsecurely engage with the side snaps 1106.

In some implementations, the teeth configuration may include fewer oradditional peaks and valleys, and/or the peaks and valleys may be in theform of alternate shapes. For example, rounded or pointed edges may beprovided. Moreover, in some implementations, a configuration other thanthe teeth configuration shown in FIG. 11K may be incorporated on theproximal ends of the top support structure 120 a and the bottom supportstructure 120 b. For example, an opening surrounding the power pins 122a,b may be provided in the bottom support structure 120 b, while acorresponding mating structure may be provided in the top supportstructure 120 a to match and align with the opening in the bottomsupport structure 120 b. One opening and corresponding mating structuremay be provided to surround both of the power pins 122 a,b, while insome implementations, a dedicated opening and corresponding matingstructure may be provided for each power pin 122 a,b.

When the top support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure120 b are snapped together, the connection pads 144 a,b of the hapticssystem 144 connect to the spring contacts 145 a,b on the PCBA 126, asshown in the cross-sectional front view at the proximal end of FIG. 11L.

FIG. 11M illustrates (via a top perspective view) the second antenna 149being positioned on the inner assembly 111. A bottom liner and a topliner from the antenna adhesive 404 may be removed, and the antennaadhesive 404 is applied to a region 1119 at the distal end of the topsupport structure 120 a. The distal end 402 b of the flexible layer 402,at which the second antenna 149 is integrated, is folded 180 degrees andaligned with the antenna adhesive 404 on the region 1119. Otherconfigurations in which folding of the distal end 402 b of the flexiblelayer 402 is not required may be provided.

FIGS. 11N-11R provide views of the bottom cap 120 c being installed onthe distal end of the connected top support structure 120 a and bottomsupport structure 120 b (i.e., the top and the bottom support structures120 a, 120 b connected together). FIG. 11N is a top perspective view;FIGS. 11O and 11P are side views; FIG. 11Q is a cross-sectional viewlooking towards the distal end of the connected structure (where theconnected structure is defined as the top and the bottom supportstructures 120 a, 120 b connected together); and FIG. 11R is across-sectional side view of the distal end of the connected structure(i.e., the top and the bottom support structures 120 a, 120 b connectedtogether). FIG. 11Q is a back cross-sectional view and FIG. 11R is aside cross-sectional view, illustrating the bottom cap 120 c installedand connected on the connected structure (i.e., the top and the bottomsupport structures 120 a, 120 b connected together).

A distal side snap 1126 may be provided on a side portion of the distalend of the bottom support structure 120 b. The distal side snap 1126 isconnected at first end 1126 a to the side portion of the distal end ofthe bottom support structure 120 b, while the second end 1126 b is freeand configured to flex inward and outward. The bottom cap 120 c has aside snap engagement component 1128 that is sized and shaped to engagewith the distal side snap 1126. When pressure is exerted on the bottomcap 120 c to push the bottom cap onto the connected structure (i.e., thetop and the bottom support structures 120 a, 120 b connected together),the second end 1126 b of the distal side snap is forced outward whilethe side snap engagement component 1128 slides underneath the distalside snap 1126. The second end 1126 b rests in opening 1128 a (see FIGS.11O and 11P). Although one side of the bottom cap 120 c is shown, theother side may have equivalent engagement features. Moreover, in someimplementations, an alternative connection component for the assembly ofthe bottom cap 120 c on the distal end of the connected structure (i.e.,the top and the bottom support structures 120 a, 120 b connectedtogether) may be provided. In some implementations, side snaps are notprovided. Rather, the bottom cap snap-fits via a friction fit or thelike onto the connected structure.

FIGS. 11S and 11T illustrate the gasket 115 being installed on theproximal end of the connected structure (i.e., the top and the bottomsupport structures 120 a, 120 b connected together). FIG. 11S is a topperspective view and FIG. 11T is a side cross-sectional view indicatingplacement of the gasket 115 with respect to the connected structure.

When connected, the proximal end of the connected structure forms afront plate 1132 with a recessed region 1130 surrounding a circumferenceof the front plate 1132. The gasket 115 is sized and shaped with a flattop portion 115 e and an opposing flat bottom portion 115 b that issubstantially equivalent in size and shape to the front plate 1132. Alip 115 c extends downward around a circumference of the gasket 115,surrounding the bottom portion 115 b. The lip 115 c may have one or moreridges formed along its outer circumference. The gasket 115 alsoincludes a tab 115 d that extends from a back end of the lip 115 c. Afront end tab may also be provided to assist in the sealing functions ofthe gasket 115. The sealing ring 115 a is formed through the tab 115 d.Gasket openings 115 f,g are formed through the top and bottom portions115 e, 115 b and are configured to surround the power pins 122 a,b whenthe gasket 115 is installed on the connected structure.

When the gasket 115 is installed on the connected structure, the lip 115c engages and surrounds the recessed region 1130 of the connectedstructure. The tab 115 d extends along a bottom portion of the bottomsupport structure 120 b, and the sealing ring 115 a securely interfaceswith the pressure sensor 137 through opening 115 h extending through thebottom support structure 120 b (see FIG. 4B). The outer circumference ofthe sealing ring 115 a provides a tight seal with the pressure sensor137, as shown in the side cross-sectional view of FIG. 11T (also seeFIG. 4E).

The gasket 115 thus serves to seal the pressure sensor 137 and seal thepower pins 122 a,b, thereby creating a sealed chamber when a cartridge150 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 114, adjacent to thegasket 115. This allows the pressure sensor 137 to detect pressurechanges when a user draws on the cartridge 150. The gasket 115 alsoserves to protect the internal components of the inner assembly 111 fromthe vaporizable material contained in the cartridge 150 or from othermaterials (e.g., water, debris, etc.) that may come into contact withthe gasket 115 via the receptacle.

FIG. 11U illustrates (via a bottom perspective view) the inner assembly111 being inserted (e.g., slid) into the outer shell 112, and FIG. 11Villustrates (via a bottom perspective view) the light pipe 147 beingmounted on the outer shell 112, as described in detail with reference toFIGS. 8A-8D, to attach the inner assembly 111 to the outer shell 112,thereby forming the vaporizer body 110.

The vaporizer body 110 assembly process, consistent with implementationsdescribed herein, advantageously does not require a soldered connectionfor the battery 124 or for the haptics system 144. Moreover, the PCBA126 may be easily snapped into place without mounting pins, additionalflex components, and/or tape to hold the flex in place.

Although various connections and engagements are described withreference to assembling the components of the inner assembly 111 and thevaporizer body 110, these connections and engagements are exemplary andnon-limiting examples of how the various components may be assembled.For example, different types of snaps and engagements may be utilizedand incorporated. In some instances as noted herein, snaps andconnection mechanisms may not be incorporated and instead variouscomponents may fit within or connect to each other without snapping orconnecting.

FIGS. 32A-32H illustrate features of the integrated board assembly 400and the support structure in accordance with an alternativeimplementation of the current subject matter. FIG. 32A is a topperspective view of a portion of the integrated board assembly 400looking from the proximal end, and FIG. 32B is a top perspective view ofa portion of the integrated board assembly 400 looking from the distalend. As previously noted, the proximal end 402 a (at which the firstantenna 143 is integrated) of the flexible layer 402 may extend from aproximal (e.g., front) end of the PCBA 126, as shown in FIGS. 32A and32B. The proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402, in thisconfiguration, may extend outward from the proximal end of the PCBA 126and curve or bend so that the planar surface (having a front surface anda back surface) of the first antenna 143 is positioned in aperpendicular configuration with respect to the top and bottom surfacesof the PCBA 126. For example, the proximal end 402 a of the flexiblelayer 402 may be curved approximately 180 degrees so that the planarsurface of the first antenna 143 is properly oriented. In someimplementations, the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402 may bebent at one or more angles so that the planar surface of the firstantenna 143 is properly oriented.

Antenna through-holes 3202 a,b may extend through the planar surface ofthe first antenna 143. The power pins 122 a,b may be positioned toextend through respective ones of the antenna through-holes 3202 a,b,and may be connected (e.g., soldered) to the back surface of the firstantenna 143. A support plate 3204 may be provided and may have a planarsurface adjacent to and that aligns with that of the first antenna 143.The support plate 3204 may include support openings 3206 a,b that alignwith the antenna through-holes 3202 a,b respectively, and the power pins122 a,b extend through the support openings 3206 a,b. The supportopenings 3206 a,b may be of a larger diameter than those of the antennathrough-holes 3202 a,b to provide sufficient space for distal ends ofthe power pins 122 a,b, as shown in FIG. 32B. A front surface of thesupport plate 3204 may be attached to (e.g., adhered to or otherwiseconnected to) the back surface of the first antenna 143. The supportplate 3204 may be of various resilient materials that maintain theirform and that do not interact with the first antenna 143 and the PCBA126, such as an FR-4 PCB material. The support plate 3204 may have athickness of approximately 0.25 mm although other thicknesses may beutilized. The planar surface of the support plate 3204 may be slightlylarger than or slightly smaller than that of the first antenna 143, andmay be of a similar shape or may have a dissimilar shape.

FIG. 32C is a top perspective view of a portion of the bottom supportstructure 120 b looking from the proximal end, and FIG. 32D is a topperspective view of a portion of the top support structure 120 a lookingfrom the proximal end. FIG. 32E is a top perspective view showingalignment of the top support structure 120 a, the integrated boardassembly 400, and the bottom support structure 120 b, looking from theproximal ends of each.

An opening 3208 on the top surface at the proximal end of the topsupport structure 120 a is sized and shaped to accommodate the proximalend 402 a of the flexible layer 402 in the configuration in which theproximal end 402 a extends from the proximal end of the PCBA 126.

A teething configuration on proximal ends of the top support structure120 a and the bottom support structure 120 b is provided to allow foralignment and connection of the respective proximal ends. In particular,a teething configuration of the top support structure 120 a may includedownward-extending protrusions 3210 a,b,c,d that mate (e.g., with afriction fit) with corresponding upward-extending openings (or gaps)3220 a,b,c,d that are formed in the proximal end of the bottom supportstructure 120 b. The openings 3220 b,c may be sized and shaped to holdthe power pins 122 a,b respectively, with the power pins 122 a,bextending longitudinally outward through the openings 3220 b,c. Thecorresponding protrusions 3210 b,c may be of a downward lengthsufficient to allow the power pins 122 a,b respectively to securely fitwithin the openings 3220 b,c and engage flexible side protrusions 3222with for example a friction fit. The side protrusions 3222 may be formedon each side of the openings 3220 b,c and protrude inward in therespective openings 3220 b,c. The power pins 122 a,b contact the sideprotrusions 3222 upon a force being applied to the power pins 122 a,b,and the side protrusions releasably secure the power pins 122 a,b withinthe openings 3220 b,c below a bottom surface of the side protrusions3222. When the integrated board assembly 400 is inserted into the bottomsupport structure 120 b, the side protrusions 3222 may be engaged by therespective power pins, causing the power pins 122 a,b to be pushed belowthe side protrusions 3222, which serve to secure the power pins 122 a,bwithin the respective openings 3220 b,c.

As shown in FIG. 32E, when the integrated board assembly 400 is insertedinto the bottom support structure 120 b, the first antenna 143 and thesupport plate 3204 are positioned on an outer side of the proximal endof the bottom structure 120 b. The configuration of the proximal end 402a of the flexible layer 402 and the first antenna 143, as shown in FIGS.32A and 32B, provides for the planar surface of the first antenna 143 toalign with the proximal end of the bottom support structure 120 b.

The top support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure 120 bmay then be connected by proper alignment and engagement of therespective teething configurations to align the proximal ends of the topand the bottom support structures 120 a, 120 b. Additionally, asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 11I and 11J, outer side snaps 1122 a,bmay engage side tabs 1124 a,b to secure the top and the bottom supportstructures 120 a, 120 b to one another.

Outward-extending tabs 3224 may be provided on the proximal ends of thetop support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure 120 b toprovide one or more flat surfaces against which the back end of thesupport plate 3204 may contact.

FIGS. 32F and 32G are top perspective views, looking from the proximalends, showing the inner assembly 111 in which the integrated boardassembly 400 is secured, the top and the bottom support structures 120a, 120 b connected to one another, and the gasket 115 installed on theproximal end of the connected structure (i.e., the top and the bottomsupport structures 120 a, 120 b connected together). The connectedstructure and the gasket 115 are semi-transparent in FIG. 32F toillustrate the placement of the various components with respect to theseouter structures.

When the top support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure120 b are connected together, the planar surface of the first antenna143 aligns with the outer side of the proximal ends of the connectedstructure as shown in FIG. 32F.

As described above with respect to FIGS. 11S and 11T, the lip 115 c ofthe gasket 115 is configured to engage and surround the recessed region1130 at the proximal end of the connected structure when installed onthe connected structure so that the planar surface of the gasket 115aligns with the front plate 1132 of the connected structure. As thefirst antenna 143 is positioned adjacent to the front plate 1132, thefirst antenna 143 is positioned or sandwiched (e.g., substantiallyparallel) between the front plate 1132 and the gasket 115, with thepower pins 122 a,b extending through the gasket 115 (e.g., through thegasket openings 115 f,g formed through the planar surface of the gasket115 and configured to surround the power pins 122 a,b when the gasket115 is installed on the connected structure as described with respect toFIG. 11S). The gasket 115 may additionally have a tab 3208 a extendingfrom the lip 115 c of the gasket 115 to mate with the opening 3208 onthe top surface at the proximal end of the top support structure 120 a.

FIG. 32H is a cross-sectional side view showing a portion of thevaporizer device 100 with the cartridge 150 inserted into the cartridgereceptacle 114 formed by the outer shell 112 of the vaporizer body 110in which the inner assembly 111 is inserted. In particular, the portionshown includes the distal end of the cartridge 150, on or near which thedata tag 164 is positioned, and the proximal end of the inner assembly111 at which the first antenna 143 is positioned between the gasket 115and the proximal end of the connected structure. As shown in FIG. 32H,this configuration results in a reduced spacing 3230 between the datatag 164 and the first antenna 143 which advantageously results inimproved communication between the cartridge 150 and the vaporizer body110.

Additionally, the antenna configuration shown in FIGS. 32A-32H providesan improved mounting for the power pins 122 a,b as the power pins 122a,b extend lengthwise through both the support openings 3206 a,b of thesupport plate 3204 and the antenna through-holes 3202 a,b. This resultsin increased support for the power pins 122 a,a. Moreover, theorientation of the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402 providesfor more efficient use of space of the PCBA 126 during manufacturing.

FIGS. 33A-33E illustrate features of the integrated board assembly 400and the support structure of a vaporizer device consistent withadditional implementations of the current subject matter in which theproximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402 extends from a side regionof the PCBA 126 and in which the first antenna 143 is oriented such thatit is positioned external to the connected structure, as described withreference to FIGS. 33A-33E. FIG. 33A is a top perspective view of aportion of the integrated board assembly 400 looking from the proximalend, and FIG. 33B is a top perspective view of a portion of theintegrated board assembly 400 looking from the distal end.

As previously described with respect to FIG. 4B, the proximal end 402 a(at which the first antenna 143 is integrated) of the flexible layer 402may extend from a side region of the PCBA 126, and may include asideward extending portion and a forward extending portion at about 90degrees with respect to the sideward extending portion. The firstantenna 143 may extend from the forward extending portion such that theplanar surface of the first antenna 143 is positioned in a perpendicularconfiguration with respect to the top and bottom surfaces of the PCBA126. The proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402 is folded or bent180 degrees (as described with reference to FIG. 11B) to achieve theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 33A and 33B. In this configuration, theplanar surface of the first antenna 143 is aligned with the proximal endof the PCBA 126 (e.g., side edges of the planar surface of the firstantenna 143 align with side edges of the proximal end of the PCBA 126).

Antenna through-holes 3202 a,b may extend through the planar surface ofthe first antenna 143. The power pins 122 a,b may be positioned toextend through respective ones of the antenna through-holes 3202 a,b,and may be connected (e.g., soldered) to the back surface of the firstantenna 143. A support plate may be provided as described with referenceto FIG. 32B.

FIG. 33C is a top perspective view showing alignment of the top supportstructure 120 a, the integrated board assembly 400, and the bottomsupport structure 120 b, looking from the proximal ends of each.Features of the top support structure 120 a and the bottom supportstructure 120 b may be similar or equivalent to those describedelsewhere in the description. For example, the teething configuration ofthe proximal ends of the top support structure 120 a and the bottomsupport structure 120 b, configured to allow for alignment andconnection of the respective proximal ends, may be similar to that shownin FIGS. 32C and 32D.

As shown in FIG. 33C, when the integrated board assembly 400 is insertedinto the bottom support structure 120 b, the first antenna 143 ispositioned on an outer side of the proximal end of the bottom structure120 b. The configuration of the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer402 and the first antenna 143, as shown in FIGS. 33A and 33B, providesfor the planar surface of the first antenna 143 to align with theproximal end of the bottom support structure 120 b.

The top support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure 120 bmay then be connected by alignment and engagement of the respectiveteething configurations to align the proximal ends of the top and thebottom support structures 120 a, 120 b. Additionally, as described withrespect to FIGS. 11I and 11J, outer side snaps 1122 a,b may engage sidetabs 1124 a,b to secure the top and the bottom support structures 120 a,120 b to one another.

FIG. 33D is a top perspective view, looking from the proximal end,showing the inner assembly 111 in which the integrated board assembly400 is secured, the top and the bottom support structures 120 a, 120 bconnected to one another, and the gasket 115 installed on the proximalend of the connected structure. The connected structure and the gasket115 are semi-transparent in FIG. 33D to illustrate the placement of thevarious components with respect to these outer structures.

When the top support structure 120 a and the bottom support structure120 b are connected together, the planar surface of the first antenna143 aligns with the outer side of the proximal ends of the connectedstructure as shown in FIG. 33D.

Features of the gasket 115 may be similar to those described withrespect to FIGS. 11S, 11T, and 32F. In particular, as the first antenna143 is positioned adjacent to the front plate 1132 of the connectedstructure, the first antenna 143 is sandwiched (e.g., substantiallyparallel to) or positioned between the front plate 1132 and the gasket115, with the power pins 122 a,b extending lengthwise through the gasket115.

FIG. 33E is a cross-sectional side view showing a portion of thevaporizer device 100 with the cartridge 150 inserted into the cartridgereceptacle 114 formed by the outer shell 112 of the vaporizer body 110in which the inner assembly 111 is inserted. In particular, the portionshown includes the distal end of the cartridge 150, on or near which thedata tag 164 is positioned, and the proximal end of the inner assembly111 at which the first antenna 143 is positioned between the gasket 115and the proximal end of the connected structure 120 a,b. As shown inFIG. 33E, this configuration results in a reduced spacing 3330 betweenthe data tag 164 and the first antenna 143 which advantageously resultsin improved communication between the cartridge 150 and the vaporizerbody 110.

FIGS. 33F and 33G are top perspective views of the proximal end of thebottom support structure 120 b according to additional implementations.As previously described elsewhere herein, the openings 3220 b,c of theproximal end of the bottom support structure 120 b are sized and shapedto hold the power pins 122 a,b, respectively, with the power pins 122a,b extending longitudinally outward through the openings 3220 b,c uponinstallation of the integrated board assembly 400 into the bottomsupport structure 120 b. The power pins 122 a,b engage the flexible sideprotrusions 3222 with for example a friction fit. The side protrusions3222 may be formed on each side of the openings 3220 b,c and protrudeinward in the respective openings 3220 b,c. The power pins 122 a,bcontact the side protrusions 3222 upon a force being applied to thepower pins 122 a,b, and the side protrusions releasably secure the powerpins 122 a,b within the openings 3220 b,c below a bottom surface of theside protrusions 3222. When the integrated board assembly 400 isinserted into the bottom support structure 120 b, the side protrusions3222 may be engaged by the respective power pins 122 a,b, causing thepower pins 122 a,b to be pushed below the side protrusions 3222, whichserve to secure the power pins 122 a,b within the respective openings3220 b,c.

As further shown in FIGS. 33F and 33G, a portion of the proximal end ofthe bottom support structure 120 b forms a support wall 3226 positionedbetween the openings 3220 b,c. The support wall 3226 is sized and shapedto provide support between the openings 3220 b,c such that this portionof the proximal end of the bottom support structure 120 b does not flexor otherwise bend, thus providing additional support for the power pins122 a,b and the first antenna 143. The support wall 3226 may have forexample a cross-shaped cross-section or other cross-section of asuitable configuration and thickness (e.g., rectangular, x-shaped, etc.)to provide a supportive wall between the openings 3220 b,c. In someconfigurations, such as those shown in FIGS. 33F and 33G, the supportwall 3226 may have a lengthwise-extending wall 3226 a that extends alonga portion of the proximal end of the bottom support structure 120 b. Inthe implementation shown in FIG. 33G, one or more corners 3227 a,b mayhave a rounded profile. For example, as shown in FIG. 33G, a secondcorner 3227 b has a rounded profile. The rounded profile may aid ininstallation of the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402 atwhich the first antenna 143 is oriented. As described elsewhere herein,in some implementations the proximal end 402 a of the flexible layer 402is folded or rotated 180 degrees (for example as described withreference to FIG. 11B) to achieve the configuration shown in FIGS. 33Aand 33B. The rounded profile of the second corner 3227 b provides alarger clearance to accommodate for folding or rotating the proximal end402 a of the flexible layer 402 into place.

FIG. 39A is a bottom perspective view of the distal end of the topsupport structure 120 a (the end at which the bottom cap 120 c isconnected) consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter. A cap connection region 3920 is at the distal end of the topsupport structure 120 a, and it is the cap connection region 3920 whichfits within the inner cap region 120 d of the bottom cap 120 c (see alsoFIGS. 4B and 11N). Adjacent to the cap connection region is a crosssupport bar 3902 that extends longitudinally across the width of the topsupport structure 120 a, as shown in FIG. 39A. FIG. 39B is across-sectional front view of the cross support bar 3902. Two openings3904 a,b are formed through the top support structure 120 a and areadjacent the cross support bar 3902 on the side opposite the capconnection region 3920 moving away from the distal end. Consistent withimplementations of the current subject matter, the two openings 3904 a,bmay be separated by a cross rib 3906 that extends down from an upperportion of the cross support bar 3902 to separate the two openings 3904a,b and to connect to the top support structure 120 a. The configurationof the two openings 3904 a,b and the cross rib 3906 may aid in materialflow during injection molding of the top support structure 120 a,thereby reducing warped regions that may otherwise occur.

FIG. 39C is a top perspective view of the distal end of the top supportstructure 120 a consistent with implementations of the current subjectmatter. FIG. 39C illustrates additional details of the cap connectionregion 3920. In particular, an antenna rib 3908 protrudes upward fromand extends widthwise across an upper surface of the top supportstructure 120 a parallel to the region at which the second antenna 149extends (see also FIG. 11N). The antenna rib 3908 serves as a boundaryfor the second antenna 149 and provides backing support for the bottomcap 120 c when placed over the top support structure 120 a. An innerarea of the bottom cap 120 c, when the bottom cap 120 c is installed onthe connected support structure, engages the antenna rib 3908, whichprovides additional support between the bottom cap 120 c and the topsupport structure 120 a.

FIG. 39D is a top perspective view of the proximal end of the topsupport structure 120 a. As described elsewhere herein, various crushribs may be incorporated on surfaces of the inner assembly 111,including the top support structure 120 a, the bottom support structure120 b, and the bottom cap 120 c, to aid in providing a secure and tightfit within the outer shell 112. The crush ribs engage an inner surfaceof the outer shell 112 when in contact with the outer shell 112, whichprovides for a secure and tight fit. As shown in FIG. 39D, top supportstructure crush ribs 3910 a,b are provided on a top surface of the topsupport structure 120 a near the proximal end to assist in securing thetop support structure 120 a within the outer shell 112 duringinstallation of the light pipe components 117.

FIG. 40A is a top perspective view of the bottom cap 120 c, and FIG. 40Bis a bottom perspective view of the bottom cap 120 c. To aid insupporting the bottom cap 120 c against the outer shell 112 afterassembly, various bottom cap crush ribs 4010 may be provided along theouter circumference of the bottom cap 120 c at positions in which thebottom cap 120 c interfaces with or contacts the outer shell 112.

The quantity and positions of the crush rubs, for example the topsupport structure crush ribs 3910 a,b and the bottom cap crush ribs4010, may vary and are not limited to the configurations shown. Forexample, in some implementation, fewer crush ribs may be incorporatedand may be spaced apart at positions on surfaces of the top supportstructure 120 a, the bottom support structure 120 b, and the bottom cap120 c to achieve a secure and tight fit within the outer shell 112. Insome implementations, no crush ribs are included. In otherimplementations, additional crush ribs are placed to aid in the desiredsecure and tight fit of the inner assembly 111 within the outer shell112.

With reference to FIG. 29 , a process flow chart 2800 illustratesfeatures of a method, which may optionally include some or all of thefollowing. At 2802, the integrated board assembly 400 is inserted intothe bottom support structure 120 b. For example, the PCBA 126 portion ofthe integrated board assembly 400 may be snapped into the bottom supportstructure by engaging one or more snaps 1102 a,b,c. 2802 may alsoinclude alignment and insertion of the power pins 122 a,b with and intorespective openings, for example the teeth configuration described withreference to FIG. 11D, at a proximal end of the bottom support structure120 b.

At 2804, the battery 124 is connected to the integrated board assembly400. For example, the bottom liner on the bottom portion of the battery124 may be removed to expose an adhesive portion, the battery connectorpoint 124 a may be pressed into the battery connecter 125 on the PCBA126, and the battery 124 may be pressed into the opening 1112 in thebottom support structure 120 b.

At 2806, the haptics system (e.g., LRA) 144 is inserted into the topsupport structure 120 a. For example, the haptics system 144 may beplaced and/or connected into the cavity 1116 a on an inner portion ofthe top support structure 120 a. Adhesive and/or the side snaps 1117 a,bmay be utilized to secure the haptics system 144 within the cavity 1116a.

At 2808, the top support structure 120 a and the bottom supportstructure 120 b are connected together. For example, the top supportstructure 120 a and the bottom support structure 120 b may be aligned,and the outer side snaps 1122 a,b of the top support structure 120 a mayengage the respective side tabs 1124 a,b of the bottom support structure120 b when a force is applied to one or more of the top supportstructure 120 a and the bottom support structure 120 b. The teethconfiguration of the proximal end of the top support structure 120 a mayalso be aligned and mated with that of the proximal end of the bottomsupport structure 120 b.

At 2810, the second antenna 149 is positioned on an outer edge of thedistal end of the connected structure (i.e., the top and the bottomsupport structures 120 a, 120 b connected together). The antennaadhesive 404 may be applied to the region 1119 at the distal end of thetop support structure 120 a, and the second antenna 149 may be foldedand aligned with the antenna adhesive 404.

At 2812, the bottom cap 120 c, is connected to the connected structureat the distal end thereof. For example, the side snap engagementcomponent 1128 of the bottom cap may engage the distal side snap 1126 ofthe bottom support structure 120 b upon the bottom cap 120 c beingaligned with and inserted on the distal end of the connected structure.

At 2814, the gasket 115 is installed at the proximal end of theconnected structure, to form the inner assembly 111 in an assembledform. For example, the gasket 115 may be installed such that the sealingring 115 a of the gasket 115 interfaces with the opening 115 h extendingthrough the bottom support structure 102 b and with a pressure sensor137 mounted to the PCBA 126.

At 2816, the inner assembly 111 is inserted into the outer shell 112.For example, the inner assembly 111 may be slid into the outer shell112.

At 2818, the light pipe 147 is mounted within the outer shell 112. Forexample the individual light pipe components 117 of the light pipe 147are aligned with and inserted within the corresponding openings 119formed through the surface of the outer shell 112. Pressure may beapplied to the light pipe 147 to secure the individual light pipecomponents 117 within the mating structure 113 with correspondingrecesses 817. The applied pressure may cause the carriage unit 147 a tobecome detached from the individual light pipe components 117.

As mentioned above, the vaporizer device 100 includes the cartridge 150configured to operatively couple with the vaporizer body 110. In someimplementations, the cartridge 150 is disposable whereas the vaporizerbody 110 is durable and/or re-usable. The cartridge 150 may also beconfigured to be reused as described elsewhere herein.

FIGS. 12-14 illustrate features of a cartridge 150 of a vaporizer device100 consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. Thecartridge 150 may include the cartridge body 156 defining, at least inpart, a reservoir 158 configured to contain vaporizable material, amouthpiece 152, and a vaporizing assembly of vapor-generating componentspositioned within the cartridge body 156 and configured to vaporize thevaporizable material. Each will be described in more detail below.

The cartridge body 156 can be divided, generally, into a proximal endregion 156A, a central region 156B, and a distal end region 156C. Theproximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156 can be coupled to themouthpiece 152 configured to deliver the vapor to the user. The centralregion 156B includes a tank or reservoir 158 defined, at least in part,by the cartridge body 156 and configured to contain an amount of thevaporizable material. The distal end region 156C of the cartridge body156 may house one or more components configured to vaporize the materialfrom the reservoir 158 into a vaporization chamber 1005. The mouthpiece152 is configured to interface with the user to release the vapor fromthe vaporization chamber 1005 to the user through one or more openings154 in the mouthpiece 152, for example, upon the user drawing a breaththrough the vaporizer device 100. Each of these components will bedescribed in more detail below.

In some implementations, the vaporizable material is cannabis oil.Cannabis oils can present particular challenges when vaporized using acartridge and a vaporizer device. For example, cannabis oil isrelatively sticky and viscous, particularly once it dries out. Thus,leakage may be a more serious consideration and challenge compared toother aqueous vaporizable materials. In particular, leakage of cannabisoil may result in clogging of the device and disturbing the electricalcomponents, particularly the electrical contacts. The dried oil can alsodisrupt the electrical control of the vaporizer device due to itselectrically insulating properties. The cartridges described herein mayin certain implementations provide robust leak-resistant designs and maybe configured to be used with viscous oil-based vaporizable materials,such as cannabis oil that can have a viscosity at room temperature ofbetween about 40 cP and 113 KcP.

As mentioned, the cartridge body 156 can be divided generally into theupper, proximal end region 156A, the lower, distal end region 156C, andthe central region 156B located between the proximal and distal endregions 156A, 156C (see FIG. 14 ). The upper, proximal end region 156Aof the cartridge body 156 is configured to couple with the mouthpiece152, for example, by inserting within an internal volume 1010 of themouthpiece 152 such that an exterior surface of the cartridge body 156near the upper proximal end region 156A seals with an inner surface ofthe mouthpiece 152. The proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body156 can define a central channel 1015 for directing vapor from thevaporization chamber 1005 towards the one or more openings 154 throughthe mouthpiece 152. The lower, distal end region 156C of the cartridgebody 156 may house components configured to couple with the vaporizerbody 110, for example, by inserting within the cartridge receptacle 114,which will also be described in more detail below. The central region156B of the cartridge body 156 positioned between the proximal anddistal end regions 156A, 156C and remains hollow such that it maydefine, in part, the reservoir 158.

As mentioned, the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156 maybe configured to couple to and be secured with the vaporizer body 110,for example, by inserting within the cartridge receptacle 114 (see FIGS.4A-4B). The cartridge receptacle 114 may have a proximal opening and aninner diameter sufficient to receive the outer diameter of the distalend region 156C of the cartridge body 156. Additionally, the cartridgereceptacle 114 may have a depth sufficient to slide the cartridge body156 into the cartridge receptacle 114 up to about the level of themouthpiece 152. Thus, the walls of the cartridge receptacle 114 maysurround the cartridge body 156 on the distal end 1020 and all foursides of the distal end region 156C and the central region 156B. Otherconfigurations of coupling between the cartridge body 156 and thevaporizer body 110 are considered herein. For example, in someimplementations, the cartridge body 156 may insert within the cartridgereceptacle 114 from a side opening rather than from a proximal opening.Alternatively, in some implementations, the cartridge body 156 need notinsert within a receptacle that fully surrounds the distal end region156C of the cartridge body 156, for example, if the cartridge body 156and vaporizer body 110 form a seal sufficient to sense a pressure drop.The cartridge body 156 may include a receptacle configured to receive aproximal end region of the vaporizer device 100. In anotherimplementation, the cartridge body 156 may insert within a slot of thevaporizer body 110 such that at least one wall of the distal end region156C of the cartridge body 156 forms an outer surface and completes theouter contour of the vaporizer device 100 upon coupling between thecartridge 150 and the vaporizer body 110. The cartridge body 156 and thevaporizer body 110 may also snap together on their respective distal andproximal ends without the exterior walls of the cartridge body 156 beingcontained by or covered by a receptacle wall of the vaporizer body 110.For example, the distal end 1020 of the cartridge body 156 may include acoupling mechanism configured to fixedly attach and seal with theproximal end of the vaporizer body 110.

The cartridge 150 can couple within the cartridge receptacle 114 by afriction-fit, snap-fit, and/or other types of secure connection. In someimplementations, any of a variety of complementary coupling features maybe incorporated, including but not limited to tab, indent, magneticlock, channel, rim, lip, ridge, protrusion, groove, rib, etc., that areconfigured to engage with a complementary feature (not shown) of thevaporizer body 110. For example, in some implementations the cartridge150 and vaporizer body 110 may incorporate one or more coupling featureshaving corresponding male and female parts that allow the cartridge 150to snap into place in operable contact with the vaporizer body 110. Thedistal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156 may includesubstantially straight or inwardly tapered sides and include one or morecoupling features that secure the cartridge 150 within the cartridgereceptacle 114 of the vaporizer body 110. The one or more couplingfeatures may be configured to engage with a complementary feature on thevaporizer body 110, such as within the cartridge receptacle 114, whenthe cartridge 150 engages with the vaporizer body 110. For example, theone or more coupling features may be male parts such as a pair of tabsor a circumferential rib on an outer surface of the distal end region156C of the cartridge body 156 that inserts within a complementaryfemale part such as a pair of indents or a circumferential groove on aninner surface of the cartridge receptacle 114. The male parts may snapinto the female parts upon downward insertion of the cartridge 150within the cartridge receptacle 114 to provide a secure fit and reversedupon withdrawing the cartridge 150 upward out of the cartridgereceptacle 114.

In some implementations, the one or more coupling features is acircumferential rib on an outer surface of the cartridge 150, forexample, near where proximal end region 156A meets the central region156B (see FIG. 13 ). The circumferential rib may be an elastomericelement configured to provide an interference fit with an inner surfaceof the cartridge receptacle 114 such that the cartridge 150 securelycouples with the vaporizer body 110 without needing to engage with acorresponding feature on the inner surface of the cartridge receptacle114 (see, for example, FIG. 4A). The circumferential rib may be part ofa mouthpiece seal 177 positioned between and configured to seal betweenan inner surface of the mouthpiece 152 and an outer surface of thecartridge body 156, which will be described in more detail below. Thecompliant material of the mouthpiece seal 177 may wedge against andengage with the inner surface of the cartridge receptacle 114 providinga secure fit. The mouthpiece seal 177 may provide a snap-fit feel uponseating the cartridge 150 within the cartridge receptacle 114 of thevaporizer device.

The cartridge 150 may have an elongate and flattened tubular bodyextending in a distal to a proximal axis (longitudinal axis A). Thecartridge 150 may be described as having a length (sometimes referred toherein as a height), a width, and a depth (sometimes referred to hereinas a thickness). The height is a length from the proximal end to thedistal end of the cartridge 150 along the longitudinal axis A (see, forexample, FIG. 13 ). The width of the cartridge is measured transversethe longitudinal axis A along a major axis of the cartridge 150 and thusrefers to the length of the longer sides of the cartridge. The depth ofthe cartridge 150 is also measured transverse the longitudinal axis A,but along the minor axis of the cartridge 150 and thus refers to thelength of the shorter sides. The width may be 1.2 times, 1.3 times, 1.4times, 1.5 times, 1.6 times, 1.7 times, 1.8 times, 1.9 times, etc. orgreater than the depth. The cartridge 150 may be between about 1 cm and10 cm long, between about 2 cm and 7 cm long, between 3 cm and 5 cmlong. The length of the cartridge 150 may be less than 8 cm, less than 7cm, less than 6 cm, less than 5.5 cm, less than 5 cm, etc. In someimplementations, the cartridge 150 may have a total length of about 3.3cm, a width (i.e., across the major axis of the cartridge) of about 1.7cm, and a depth (i.e., across the minor axis of the cartridge) of about0.85 cm.

The cross-sectional shape of the cartridge body 156 may be any of avariety of shapes, including circular, round, or non-round shapes, suchas an approximately oval, elliptical, rectangular, square, trapezoidal,or other cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional shape may begeometric or free-form shape. Non-round shapes, particularly flattenedshapes may be preferred to prevent rolling when the vaporizer device 100is placed on its side. The shape of the cartridge 150, including thecartridge body 156 and the mouthpiece 152, resembles or is acontinuation of the general shape of the vaporizer body 110 such thatupon coupling the cartridge 150 and the vaporizer body 110 together, thevaporizer device 100 has a substantially sleek profile. The couplingbetween the cartridge 150 and the vaporizer body 110 may allow for thevaporizer device 100 to have continuous edges that provide a seamlessunibody profile from end to end.

Because the overall shape of the cartridge 150 may be somewhatflattened, the coupling between the cartridge 150 and the vaporizer body110 may occur upon relative sliding along the longitudinal axis A of thevaporizer device 100 as shown at FIG. 13 . However, depending on theshape and configuration of the cartridge body 156 and the cartridgereceptacle 114, other relative movements are considered herein, such asrotation around the longitudinal axis A or side-to-side movementsorthogonal to the longitudinal axis A of the vaporizer device 100. Insome implementations, the cartridge receptacle 114 and the cartridge 150have bilateral symmetry such that the cartridge 150 may be flippedhorizontally relative to the cartridge receptacle 114 and stilloperatively couple with the vaporizer body 110. In otherimplementations, the cartridge receptacle 114 and cartridge 150 havelateral dissymmetry such that they engage with one another in only asingle orientation.

The fit between the cartridge body 156 and the vaporizer body 110 may besufficient to provide a secure fit to prevent inadvertent uncoupling,but may still allow for the cartridge 150 to be easily withdrawn ordisengaged from the vaporizer body 110 to remove and replace thecartridge 150. In some implementations, the engagement between thecartridge body 156 and the vaporizer body 110 may include a releasebutton or other feature that is configured to actively disengage thecartridge 150 from the device. The outer surface of the cartridge 150may incorporate one or more three-dimensional features such as slots,knurling, or other type of finger grips that aid a user duringinstallation and removal of the cartridge 150 from the vaporizer body110. The coupling, such as a snap-fit coupling, may provide a visual,audible and/or tactile confirmation that the cartridge body 156 ispositioned properly relative to the vaporizer body 110.

Again with respect to FIGS. 12-14 , the proximal end region 156A of thecartridge body 156 is configured to couple with the mouthpiece 152. Themouthpiece 152 can include the internal volume 1010 sized such that themouthpiece 152 may be attached over the proximal end region 156A of thecartridge body 156. As such, the mouthpiece 152 may form the proximalend of the cartridge 150. The mouthpiece 152 may have an externalsurface that is generally amenable to a user placing their lips over theproximal end 153 of the mouthpiece 152 to inhale the vapor. The externalsurface of the mouthpiece 152 may have a variety of configurations. Insome implementations, the external surface may have smooth edges thatare pleasing to the lips and tongue. The mouthpiece may also have alength along the longitudinal axis A sufficient to be inserted adistance between the lips for inhaling. As mentioned above, thecartridge 150 may have a total length along the longitudinal axis A fromthe proximal end to the distal end that is between about 3 cm and 5 cm,a width (i.e., across the major axis of the cartridge) of between about1 cm and about 2 cm, and a depth (i.e., across the minor axis of thecartridge) of between about 0.5 cm and about 1 cm. In someimplementations, the mouthpiece 152 may have a length along thelongitudinal axis A that is about 0.5 cm, about 0.75 cm, about 1 cm,about 1.25 cm, about 1.5 cm, about 1.75 cm, about 2.0 cm, about 2.25 cm,about 2.5 cm, up to about 3.0 cm in length. The length of the mouthpiece152 along the longitudinal axis A may be a fraction of the total lengthof the cartridge 150 as a whole, for example, at least 25%, at least30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, up to about 50% the total length of thecartridge 150. As described elsewhere herein, the cartridge 150 may besomewhat flattened in shape creating a rectangular shape such that awidth of the cartridge 150 is greater than the depth. The mouthpiece 152of the cartridge may also have a somewhat flattened shape. For example,the mouthpiece 152 may have a length that is about 1.5 cm, a width(across the major axis) that is about 1.7 cm, and a depth (across theminor axis) that is about 0.85 cm. It should be appreciated that theproximal end region of the mouthpiece 152 may taper slightly such thatthe thickness of the mouthpiece 152 across the minor axis may be less atthe proximal end than the thickness at the distal end of the mouthpiece152.

One or more openings 154 may extend through the proximal end surface1025 into the internal volume 1010 of the mouthpiece 152. The one ormore openings 154 allow for the vapor produced within the cartridge 150to be inhaled by the user. The one or more openings 154 may be alignedwith the central, longitudinal axis A of the device or positionedoff-set from the longitudinal axis A. The proximal end surface 1025 ofthe mouthpiece 152 may be sloped inwardly away from the outer edgestowards the one or more openings 154. The relative size of the one ormore openings 154 may be minimized to hide from view internal componentspositioned beneath the mouthpiece 152 from the proximal end 153 of thecartridge 150 and aid in reducing the amount of dirt/lint that may enterthe mouthpiece 152, while at the same time being of sufficient size topermit the sufficient flow of vapor to the user. In someimplementations, the one or more openings 154 through the proximal endsurface 1025 of the mouthpiece 152 is a single, elongate slot that has arelatively narrow width providing a generally thin, rectangular shape tothe opening 154. However, other shapes, sizes, and/or configurations ofthe mouthpiece opening 154 may be utilized. For example, the mouthpieceopening 154 may be an oval shape, or two more openings of the same ordifferent shapes may be used.

In some implementations, the elongate opening 154 may have a lengthalong the major axis of the mouthpiece 152 that is a fraction of thetotal width of the mouthpiece 152 along the major axis. For example, theopening 154 may have a length that is at least about 25%, at least about30%, at least about 35%, at least about 40%, at least about 45%, atleast about 50%, at least about 55%, at least about 60%, at least about65%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at least about 80%, atleast about 85%, up to at least about 90% of the total width of themouthpiece along the major axis. The elongate opening 154 may have anarrow width along the minor axis of the mouthpiece 152. For example,the opening 154 may have a width that is no greater than 50%, no greaterthan 45%, no greater than 40%, no greater than 35%, no greater than 30%,no greater than 25%, no greater than 20%, no greater than 15%, or nogreater than 10% of the total width of the mouthpiece along the minoraxis. For example, the width of the mouthpiece 152 along the major axismay be about 2 cm and the width of the mouthpiece 152 along the minoraxis may be about 1 cm. The opening 154 of the mouthpiece 152 may have alength along the major axis that is about 0.5 cm to about 1.8 cm and awidth along the minor axis that is about 0.1 cm to about 0.5 cm. In someimplementations, the opening 154 of the mouthpiece 152 has a length thatis about 10 mm, about 11 m, about 12 mm, about 13 mm, about 14 mm, up toabout 15 mm and has a width of about 1 mm, 1.25 mm, about 1.5 mm, about1.75 mm, about 2 mm, about 2.25 mm, about 2.5 mm, up to about 3 mm. Thedimensions of the opening 154 may vary. The dimensions of the opening154 may be sufficient to allow vapor to be easily drawn through theopening 154 while the internal components within the cartridge 150 aresubstantially hidden from view.

The mouthpiece 152 may couple (e.g., snap-fit) onto the proximal endregion 156A of the cartridge body 156 to snugly mate with the cartridgebody 156. The configuration of the coupling between the cartridge body156 and the mouthpiece 152 may vary. The coupling may incorporatecorresponding male and female parts configured to mate together. Forexample, an inner surface of the mouthpiece 152 (or the external surfaceof the cartridge body 156) may incorporate a lip, flange, rib, or otheroutwardly projecting coupling feature configured to slide past and/orinto a corresponding feature on an exterior surface of the cartridgebody 156 (or the inner surface of the mouthpiece 152). FIG. 26 is across-sectional view of the cartridge 150 taken along a plane shown byarrows A-A of FIG. 12 . FIG. 26 illustrates an outwardly-projectingcoupling feature 1053 on an inner surface of the mouthpiece 152 that issized and shaped to project into a corresponding coupling feature 1054on an exterior surface of the cartridge body 156. The feature 1054 maybe an undercut or indentation near the proximal end region 156A of thecartridge body 156. The feature 1054 may be a circumferentialindentation completely encircling the proximal end region 156A of thecartridge body 156. The feature 1054 may also be formed by one or morediscrete indentations. Similarly, the corresponding outwardly-projectingcoupling feature 1053 on the mouthpiece 152 may be a circumferentialprojection or the outwardly-projecting coupling feature 1053 may beformed by one or more discrete projections.

The mouthpiece 152 may be permanently affixed to the cartridge body 156by the coupling or may be configured to be removed by a user. Forexample, the mouthpiece 152 may be removed from the cartridge body 156in order to refill the reservoir and attached again following refillingfor reuse. The cartridge 150 may be disposable and not configured to berefilled. It should be appreciated that the mouthpiece 152 need not be apart of the cartridge 150 itself. For example, the cartridge 150 mayinclude a reservoir and be configured to attach with the vaporizer body110 independent of the mouthpiece 152.

Mating between the mouthpiece 152 and the proximal end region 156A ofthe cartridge body 156 may provide a seal with an exterior surface ofthe cartridge body 156. For example, the mouthpiece seal 177 may beincorporated between where the mouthpiece 152 and the proximal endregion 156A of the cartridge body 156 couple together. The sealing ofthe mouthpiece seal 177 may eliminate, or at least aid in reduction of,air leaks at the junction between the mouthpiece 152 and the cartridgebody 156, for example, near or at the point indicated by “X” in FIG. 15A(see also FIGS. 13-14 ). Preventing air flow leaks into the mouthpiece152 at this junction, in turn, may improve drawing vapor through the atleast one opening in the mouthpiece by blocking gas flow between theinner surface of the mouthpiece and the outer surface of the cartridgebody and thereby may increase air flow through the cartridge 150, whichwill be described in more detail below. The sealing may also eliminate,or aid in the reduction of, vapor leaks from the mouthpiece 152.

As mentioned above, the mouthpiece seal 177 may be incorporated betweenwhere the mouthpiece 152 and the cartridge body 156 couple together. Themouthpiece seal 177 may be dual-purpose in that it may provide a seal orbarrier between the mouthpiece 152 and the cartridge body 156 to preventleaks as discussed above. The mouthpiece seal 177 also may aid incoupling the cartridge 150 to the cartridge receptacle 114 of thevaporizer body 110 by providing a seal between the cartridge 150 and thecartridge receptacle 114. Thus, the mouthpiece seal 177 simplifiesmanufacturing in that a single element may perform more than a singlefunction. In some implementations, the mouthpiece seal 177 may be anelastomeric element such as an O-ring or flattened band positioned overthe exterior surface of the cartridge body 156. In otherimplementations, the mouthpiece seal 177 may be formed around (e.g., byover-molding) the exterior surface of the cartridge body 156. Themouthpiece seal 177 may be an elastomeric element that encircles theexterior surface of the cartridge body 156 near the proximal end region156A, for example where the proximal end region 156A meets the centralregion 156B of the cartridge body 156. The mouthpiece seal 177 mayengage the internal surface of the mouthpiece 152 near its distal endregion 1030. The mouthpiece seal 177 may be a generally annular featurehaving a flat inner diameter configured to be affixed or engaged flushwith the external surface of the cartridge body 156. The outer surfaceof the mouthpiece seal 177 may have at least one, two, three, or morecircumferential sealing beads or ribs 1035 (see FIG. 15A-15B). The ribs1035 may provide a redundancy to the sealing between the mouthpiece 152and the cartridge body 156 as well as a redundancy to the couplingbetween the cartridge 150 and the vaporizer body 110. The ribs 1035 mayprovide a maximum outer diameter for the mouthpiece seal 177 that isslightly oversized compared to an inner diameter of the distal endregion 1030 of the mouthpiece 152. Thus, when the mouthpiece 152 isinserted over the proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156,the inner diameter of the mouthpiece 152 compresses one or more of theribs 1035 of the mouthpiece seal 177 slightly thereby providing anairtight, circumferential seal between the two components. In someimplementations, the mouthpiece seal 177 is an over-molded element onthe proximal end region of the cartridge body 156 thereby eliminating ahand assembly step in production. The over-molded design may alsoimprove performance of the seal in that the mouthpiece seal 177 is lesslikely to twist or roll relative to the cartridge body 156 that mightoccur with an O-ring. In some implementations, the mouthpiece seal 177may be positioned or over-molded within a groove formed in the exteriorsurface to provide better fixation of the mouthpiece seal 177 to theexterior surface of the cartridge body 156. The groove in the exteriorsurface of the cartridge body 156 may have a surface that is conduciveto coupling with the inner diameter of the mouthpiece seal 177. Forexample, the surface of the groove may be etched or otherwise textured.In some implementations, the inner surface of the distal end region 1030of the mouthpiece 152 may have an inwardly-projecting feature configuredto snap over and position within a groove between the ribs 1035 of themouthpiece seal 177. The mouthpiece seal 177 may be positioned on thecartridge body 156 near where the distal end region 1030 of themouthpiece 152 encircles the body 156. This allows for the mouthpieceseal 177 to provide sealing between the mouthpiece 152 and the cartridgebody 156 as well as between the cartridge 150 and the cartridgereceptacle 114 of the vaporizer body 110 upon coupling of the two. Forexample, the mouthpiece seal 177 may have width such that one or more ofthe ribs 1035 near a proximal end of the mouthpiece seal 177 may engagewith the distal end region 1030 of the mouthpiece 152 and block gas flowbetween the inner surface of the mouthpiece 152 and the outer surface ofthe cartridge body 156 and one or more of the ribs 1035 near a distalend of the mouthpiece seal 177 remain available and seal within theopening of the cartridge receptacle 114 upon coupling with the vaporizerbody 110 (see FIG. 20A, for example). The second sealing rib 1035 may beconfigured to provide an interference fit between the outer surface ofthe cartridge body 156 and the inner surface of the cartridge receptacle114 of the vaporizer device. The second sealing rib 1035 may provide asnap-fit with the cartridge receptacle 114 when inserted within thecartridge receptacle 114. It should be appreciated that the position ofthe mouthpiece seal 177 relative to the mouthpiece 152 may vary.Additionally, the mouthpiece 152 may incorporate more than themouthpiece seal 177, for example, the mouthpiece seal 177 near thedistal end region 1030 as well as a seal (such as an O-ring) closer tothe proximal end 153 of the mouthpiece 152.

Again with respect to FIGS. 13-14 , the mouthpiece 152 may be coupled tothe proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156. The mouthpiece152 may include an internal volume 1010 and an external surface definingat least one opening 154 into the internal volume 1010. The at least oneopening 154 may be configured to release vapor from the vaporizingassembly in the cartridge. The internal volume 1010 of the mouthpiece152 may be mostly filled by the proximal end region 156A of thecartridge body 156. The internal volume 1010 of the mouthpiece 152 mayinclude a region, for example, near the proximal end 153 of thecartridge 150 adjacent the one or more openings 154 of the mouthpiece152, that is configured to contain one or more absorbent pads 170 withinthe internal volume 1010. The one or more pads 170 may be positionedwithin the internal volume 1010 of the mouthpiece 152 near or proximateto the one or more openings 154 through which vapor may be inhaled,e.g., by drawing breath through the vaporizer device 100, such that itmay capture moisture just prior to inhalation by the user. The one ormore absorbent pads 170 may prevent or reduce the flow of fluid, such asthe vaporizable material, into and out of the one or more openings 154.The one or more pads 170 may be pushed against the interior surface ofthe mouthpiece 152 or may be pulled away from interior walls so as tomaximize the surface area available for moisture absorption. The pads smay have any of a variety of shapes including rectangular, circular,ovoid, triangular, square, ring, or other shape. The size and shape ofthe pads 170 may be selected to minimize interference with the vaporpath through the openings 154 while maximizing moisture and particlecollection. Thus, the pads 170 may capture deposited and/or condensedliquid from the vapor flowing through the cartridge 150 withoutrequiring the vapor to pass through the pads 170.

In an implementation, the absorbent pad 170 is configured to bepositioned within the internal volume 1010 of the mouthpiece 152 nearthe opening 154 without obstructing vapor flow through the opening 154.The pad 170 may be positioned within the mouthpiece 152 such that thepad 170 is generally off-axis relative to the opening 154 allowingunobstructed vapor flow through the opening 154. In otherimplementations, the pad 170 may be coaxial with the opening 154 and theshape of the pad 170 allows the pad to avoid obstructing vapor flowthrough the opening 154.

FIGS. 13-14 shows the pad 170 may be a flattened disk defining a centralopening 1040 and thus, has a ring-like shape. In an implementation, anexternal surface of the mouthpiece may define the opening 154 into theinternal volume as a narrow, elongate slit. The central opening 1040 ofthe pad 170 may have a shape that corresponds to a shape of the opening154 such that it may surround the opening 154. The pad 170 may be wedgedwithin the internal volume of the mouthpiece to avoid blocking gas flowthrough the opening 154. The ring-shaped pad 170 may have an innerperimeter or wall 1042 defining the central opening 1040 that is sizedand shaped to surround the opening 154 through the upper end of themouthpiece 152. The pad 170 may also have an outer perimeter or wall1044 sized and shape to engage with the inner sides of the mouthpiece152. It should be appreciated the pad 170 may have a ring shape, butneed not be a circular ring-shaped object. Rather, the absorbent pad 170may be a flat, non-circular ring having a perimeter in the shape of anoval, ellipse, or rectangle. The outer wall 1044 may have a shapeconfigured to mate with an inner surface of the mouthpiece 152. In someimplementations, the outer wall 1044 of the pad 170 may engage with theinternal surfaces or inner sides of the mouthpiece 152 (e.g., the majorsides of the generally flattened shape of the mouthpiece 152) such thatthe outer wall 1044 generally matches the flattened cross-sectionalgeometry of the mouthpiece 152. For example, if the cross-sectionalgeometry of the mouthpiece 152 is a flattened oval or rectangular, thegeometry defined by the outer wall 1044 of the pad 170 is likewise aflattened oval or rectangular. Likewise, the inner wall 1042 of the pad170 defining the central opening 1040 may have a shape configured tomirror the shape of the opening 154 through the mouthpiece 152 such thatthe pad 170 does not obstruct vapor flow through the opening 154. Themouthpiece 152 may include a projecting flat collar forming an internalflange 1045 surrounding the opening 154 and extending into the internalvolume 1010 of the mouthpiece 152. The internal flange 1045 may have aninner diameter and an outer diameter. The inner wall 1042 of the pad 170may be sized to engage with the outer diameter of the internal flange1045 such that the central opening 1040 of the pad 170 aligns generallywith the opening 154 of the mouthpiece 152.

As mentioned above, the mouthpiece 152 may be attached over the proximalend region 156A of the cartridge body 156. The pad 170 may be positioned(e.g., sandwiched) against an upper, proximal surface 1050 of thecartridge body 156 (see FIGS. 13, 14, and 15A). The upper, proximalsurface 1050 of the cartridge body 156 abuts against the lower surface1055 of the pad 170 such that the pad 170 is wedged between the internalflange 1045, the inner sides of the mouthpiece 152, and the proximalsurface 1050 of the cartridge body 156. The pad 170 may be wedged intoplace and affixed without an adhesive although it should be appreciatedthat adhesives may also be used to affix the pad 170. The upper,proximal surface 1050 of the cartridge body 156 may also include acentral, upper element 1052 sized insert through the central opening1040 of the absorbent pad 170 and the internal diameter of the internalflange 1045. The absorbent pad 170 thereby encircles the central, upperelement 1052, which in turn, projects through central opening 1040 andinto the internal flange 1045 of the mouthpiece (see FIG. 13 and alsoFIG. 24 ). The shape of the pad along with its wedged coupling with theinternal flange 1045 of the mouthpiece, the proximal surface 1050 andupper element 1052 of the cartridge body 156 prevent shifting of the pad170 during use and handling. Shifting of the pad 170 may cause the pad170 to obstruct vapor flow through the device.

The pad 170 need not be formed by a single absorbent element. Rather,the pad 170 may be formed by multiple absorbent elements positionedrelative to the opening 154 to provide absorption without impeding,restricting, or blocking vapor flow through the openings 154 in themouthpiece 152. Use of the term “pad” is not intended to be limiting.The pad 170 may be any absorbent member (e.g., sponge, pad, felts,fiber, fabric, etc.) that may absorb an amount of a fluid. The one ormore pads 170 may include any absorbent material configured to wickmoisture relatively quickly and allow it to disperse quicklytherethrough. The absorbent material may be hydrophilic, includingcotton, non-woven cotton linter paper, felt, cellulose, or hydrophilicpolymers. The pad 170 may be formed of thin sheets of layered material.

FIGS. 34A-34F illustrate an implementation consistent with the currentsubject matter in which two absorbent pads 170 a,b are provided to fitwithin the proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156. FIG. 34Ais a front perspective view of the cartridge body 156, and FIG. 34B is afront perspective view of the cartridge body 156 with the two pads 170a,b inserted in respective openings of the proximal end region 156A ofthe cartridge body 156 as further described below. FIG. 34C is aperspective, front cross-sectional view of the cartridge body 156 shownin FIG. 34B. FIG. 34D is a perspective, front cross-sectional view ofthe cartridge 150 with the two pads 170 a,b inserted in the cartridgebody 156 and with the mouthpiece 152 attached to the proximal end region156A of the cartridge body 156. FIG. 34E is a cross-sectional view ofthe cartridge 150 taken along a plane shown by arrows A-A of FIG. 12 ,and FIG. 34F is a front perspective view thereof.

Two recesses 1092 a,b may be formed in the proximal end region 156A ofthe cartridge body 156 and may be partially defined by sidewall 157 ofthe proximal end region 156A with openings to the recesses 1092 a,bprovided in the upper, proximal surface 1050 of the cartridge body 156,as shown in FIG. 34A. As shown in FIGS. 34B and 34C, the recesses 1092a,b may be sized and shaped to contain therein a respective one of thepads 170 a,b such that the pads 170 a,b are held opposite one another.The recesses 1092 a,b may be separated across the major axis of thecartridge body 156 by the central, upper element 1052 of the upper,proximal surface 1050 of the cartridge body 156. As described elsewhereherein, the internal volume 1010 of the mouthpiece 152 may be mostlyfilled by the proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156. Thus,when the mouthpiece 152 is secured to the cartridge body 156, the pads170 a,b are contained within the internal volume 1010 as furtherdescribed below.

The pads 170 a,b may be of a generally rectangular shape with an outeror back wall 1046 and an opposing inner wall 1047, each having a planarsurface that may deform (e.g., curve, buckle, bend, or flex) underpressure or contact. In some implementations, each of the pads 170 a,bmay have a uniform thickness along their length between the outer wall1046 and the inner wall 1047 that is about 1.0 mm, about 1.1 mm, about1.2 mm, about 1.3 mm, about 1.4 mm, about 1.5 mm, about 1.6 mm, up toabout 1.7 mm. The thicknesses of each of the recesses 1092 a,b may beequal to or slightly larger (e.g., about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about4%, up to about 5% larger) than the thickness of the pads 170 a,b, toachieve a secure fit of the pads 170 a,b in their respective recesses1092 a,b. In some implementations, the thickness of the recesses 1092a,b compared to that of the thickness of the pads 170 a,b is such thatthe pads 170 a,b fit loosely widthwise within the recesses 1092 a,b. Insome implementations, the thickness along the length of the pads 170 a,bmay vary. In some implementations, each pad 170 a,b may have a lengththat is about 7 mm, about 8 mm, about 9 mm, about 10 mm, about 11 mm,about 12 mm, about 13 mm, up to about 14 mm, and may have a height thatis about 3.5 mm, about 4 mm, about 4.5 mm, about 5 mm, about 5.5 mm,about 6 mm, about 6.5 mm, up to about 7 mm. In some implementations, thelength of each of the recesses 1092 a,b is equal to or slightly largerthan the length of the pads 170 a,b. When the pads 170 a,b are insertedin the recesses 1092 a,b, the pads 170 a,b may curve or buckle such thatthe pads 170 a,b are shaped around the central channel 1015 and notimpeding flow to the mouthpiece 152. Further, when the pads 170 a,b areinserted in the recesses 1092 a,b, the pads 170 a,b may extend above thesidewalls of the recesses 1092 a,b, as shown in FIGS. 34B and 34C. Thepads 170 a,b may extend above the sidewalls of the recesses 1092 a,b byabout 0.5 mm, about 0.6 mm, about 0.7 mm, about 0.8 mm, about 0.9 mm,about 1.0 mm, about 1.1 mm, about 1.2 mm, about 1.3 mm, about 1.4 mm, upto about 1.5 mm.

As described elsewhere herein, the mouthpiece 152 may include aprojecting flat collar forming the internal flange 1045 surrounding theopening 154 and extending into the internal volume 1010 of themouthpiece 152. The internal flange 1045 may have an inner diameter andan outer diameter. The thickness of the pads 170 a,b may be sized toengage with the internal flange 1045, such that pads 170 a,b are heldwithin the internal flange 1045 when the mouthpiece 152 is installed onthe cartridge body 156, as shown in FIGS. 34D, 34E, and 34F. Thethickness between the inner diameter and the outer diameter of theinternal flange 1045 may be slightly less than that of the thickness ofthe pads 170 a,b, causing the pads 170 a,b to be slightly compressed(e.g., from thickness of about 1.5 mm to thickness of about 1.4 mm) atan area where the pads 170 a,b interface with the internal flange 1045so that the pads 170 a,b do not move within the mouthpiece 152. Theresulting configuration, when the mouthpiece 152 is installed on thecartridge body 156, provides for the pads 170 a,b to be spaced apart onopposing sides of the central channel 1015 across which the central,upper element 1052 extends and through which vapor flows before exitingthe mouthpiece 152 (i.e., off-axis from the vapor flow path). Thecentral opening between the pads 170 a,b aligns generally with theopening 154 of the mouthpiece 152. The internal flange 1045 may bepositioned within the mouthpiece 152 in such a way that uponinstallation of the mouthpiece 152 on the cartridge body 156, upper endsof the pads 170 a,b are forced slightly inward so that the pads 170 a,bare held at an angle with respect to a vertical axis of the cartridge150, as shown in FIGS. 34E and 34F. This may be caused by thepositioning of the internal flange 1045 being offset, in a verticalorientation, from the recesses 1092 a,b. In some implementations, thepads 170 a,b are at an angle, from the vertical axis, of about 0degrees, about 1 degree, about 2 degrees, about 3 degrees, about 4degrees, about 5 degrees, about 6 degrees, about 7 degrees, about 8degrees, about 9 degrees, about 10 degrees, about 11 degrees, about 12degrees, about 13 degrees, about 14 degrees, about 15 degrees, about 16degrees, about 17 degrees, about 18 degrees, about 19 degrees, up toabout 20 degrees. Additionally, the internal flange 1045 may cause thepads 170 a,b to further flex and curve at one or more regions along thelength of the pads 170 a,b.

The configuration of the pads 170 a,b, in which the pads 170 a,b arepositioned opposite one another, spaced apart on opposing sides of thecentral channel 1015, and off-axis from the opening 154 of themouthpiece 152, may result in the capture of large particles yet allowsmaller particles through to the opening 154. In some implementations, alarge particle may have a diameter of at least about 10 microns. In someimplementations, a large particle may have a diameter of at least about8 microns, about 9 microns, about 10 microns, about 11 microns, up toabout 12 microns. As larger particles have more inertia, the largerparticles will hit the pads 170 a,b whereas smaller particles will curlaround the central, upper element 1052 to exit the mouthpiece 152, asfurther described below.

FIGS. 35A and 35B illustrate features of the central, upper element 1052that extends across the major axis of the upper, proximal surface 1050of the cartridge body 156, consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter. FIG. 35A is front perspective view of thecartridge body 156, and FIG. 35B is a side cross-sectional view thereof.As shown, the central, upper element 1052 is positioned above the topend portion of a central cannula 172 in the central channel 1015 (seeFIGS. 34C-34F). In some implementations, the central, upper element 1052is about 0 mm, about 0.1 mm, about 0.2 mm, about 0.3 mm, about 0.4 mm,about 0.5 mm, about 0.6 mm, about 0.7 mm, about 0.8 mm, about 0.9 mm,about 1.0 mm, about 1.1 mm, about 1.2 mm, about 1.3 mm, about 1.4 mm,about 1.5 mm, about 1.6 mm, about 1.7 mm, about 1.8 mm, about 1.9 mm, upto about 2.0 mm above the top end portion of the central cannula 172.

The size and shape of the central, upper element 1052 may aestheticallyblock off the internal components from a user (through the opening 154of the mouthpiece 152) as well as direct or split vapor flow around it.By directing the flow around the central, upper element 1052, largerparticles are trapped in the pads 170 a,b due to their inherent inertialproperties described above. The central, upper element 1052 thus splitsthe vapor flow to allow for flow around the central, upper element 1052and thereby reducing the amount of excess material that is collected onthe central, upper element 1052 and elsewhere in the cartridge body 156.

In an implementation, as shown in FIGS. 35A and 35B, the central, upperelement 1052 has a side cross-sectional profile with a sharpened end,curved and angled sides, and a blunt top that splits, due to thesharpened end and the curved and angled sides, the flow of vapor aroundthe central, upper element 1052 for larger particles to be captured andentrained by the pads 170 a,b, which are off-axis with respect todirection of the vapor flow. The central, upper element 1052 may be anairfoil with a leading edge and a closed trailing edge. The sidecross-sectional profile of the central, upper element 1052 may beparabolic or triangular, as shown in FIG. 35A as well as FIGS. 34E and34F, with a flat top surface 1052 c and with angled side portions 1052 aand 1052 b that meet at the sharpened end. This configuration mayprevent vapor impaction on surfaces within the cartridge body 156(including the central, upper element 1052 itself), which can lead to abuild-up of oil condensation. In some implementations, the angled sideportions 1052 a,b may be, with respect to the flat top surface 1052 c,at an angle of about 45 degrees, about 50 degrees, about 55 degrees,about 60 degrees, about 65 degrees, about 70 degrees, about 75 degrees,up to about 80 degrees. A bounding box defining the side cross-sectionalarea of the central, upper element 1052 may have a length of about 1.5mm, about 1.6 mm, about 1.7 mm, about 1.8 mm, about 1.9 mm, up to about2.0 mm, and may have a height of about 2.0 mm, about 2.1 mm, about 2.2mm, about 2.3 mm, about 2.4 mm, about 2.5 mm, about 2.6 mm, up to about2.7 mm.

In some implementations, other side cross-sectional profiles as well asvariations of those described herein may be used for the central, upperelement 1052, where such profiles aid in the splitting and directing ofthe flow of vapor, such as other shapes with a sharpened or pointed end,including for example a diamond, a teardrop, an arrow, or a round orrounded edge profile.

Again with respect to FIGS. 12-14 , the cartridge body 156 includes acentral region 156B that defines, in part, a tank or reservoir 158configured to hold an amount of vaporizable material within thecartridge 150. The reservoir 158 may be sealed on a distal or bottom endby an internal sealing gasket 173 positioned within the distal endregion 156C of the cartridge body 156, which will be described in moredetail below. The reservoir 158 may be sealed on a proximal or top endby a sealing ring 171. The central cannula 172 may extend through thereservoir 158 from near the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body156 to the proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156. As bestshown in FIG. 13 , the proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body156 defines a central channel 1015 that extends between a first opening1016 at an upper end of the reservoir 158 to a second opening 1017 thatmay be coaxially aligned with the opening 154 through the proximal endsurface of the mouthpiece 152. A proximal tap 1018 of the centralcannula 172 encircled by the sealing ring 171 may extend through thefirst opening 1016 a distance into the central channel 1015. The sealingring 171 may seal with the surface of the central channel 1015 andthereby seal the reservoir 158 on the upper end.

The sealing ring 171 may provide a seal between the central cannula 172and the mouthpiece 152 to prevent or reduce the likelihood of fluid,such as the vaporizable material, from flowing into and out of themouthpiece opening 154. The sealing ring 171 may be any of a variety ofsealing element and can, but need not, have an annular shape. The shapeof the sealing ring 171 may be configured to match the shape of theproximal tap 1018 of the central cannula 172 on its inner diameter andmatch the shape of the central channel 1015 on its outer diameter. Insome implementations, the sealing ring 171 may be an elastomericmaterial configured to be compressed slightly upon insertion of thecentral cannula 172 into the central channel 1015 thereby providingfluid sealing and preventing the vaporizable fluid stored in thereservoir 158 from exiting the cartridge 150 through the central channel1015.

The reservoir 158 may be arranged to surround the central cannula 172,which may be positioned coaxial with the longitudinal axis A of thecartridge 150. The reservoir 158 may thereby be generally ring-shapedsuch that the outer wall(s) of the reservoir 158 are formed by thecartridge body 156 and the inner wall(s) of the reservoir 158 are formedby the central cannula 172 extending through the reservoir 158. Thereservoir 158 need not be arranged symmetrically around the longitudinalaxis A of the cartridge 150 with the central cannula 172 extendingthrough it. Other configurations are considered herein.

As mentioned above, at least a portion of the cartridge body 156 may betransparent, translucent, opaque, or a combination thereof. Thecartridge body 156 may include one or more regions formed of an opaquematerial such that the contents are not visible from outside the deviceas well as one or more regions formed of a translucent or transparentmaterial such that the contents are visible from outside the device. Forexample, the central region 156B of the cartridge body 156 may betranslucent to transparent such that the reservoir 158 contained withinthis portion of the cartridge body 156 may remain visible to a user fromoutside the cartridge 150. The distal end region 156C of the cartridgebody 156 may be opaque such that a majority of the components withinthis region remain hidden from view. Similarly, the mouthpiece 152positioned over the proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156may be opaque. FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate a translucent central region156B of the cartridge body 156. The reservoir 158 and substantially allthe vaporizable material 187 contained within the reservoir 158 arevisible through this central region 156B of the cartridge body 156. Insome implementations, the central region 156B where the oil volume isvisible has a width between the opaque mouthpiece 152 and the opaquedistal end region 156C that is at least about 4.0 mm up to at leastabout 8.0 mm. In an implementation, the central region 156B has avisible width between the opaque mouthpiece 152 and the opaque distalend region 156C that is 7.5 mm. Distal end region 156C of the cartridgebody 156 and the mouthpiece 152 are both shown as opaque and blockingfrom view any of the internal components contained within either ofthose regions. From a usability perspective, a user of the vaporizerdevice 100 may want to see a remaining amount of vaporizable material187 within the reservoir 158, but not be distracted with the complexityof the internal components of the cartridge body 156. The translucent totransparent central region 156B may reveal the amount of vaporizablematerial remaining in the reservoir 158. The central region 156B mayavoid blocking a user's view of the distal end (bottom) of the reservoir158 such that the remaining volume of vaporizable material in thereservoir is visible to a user until the total volume of the vaporizablematerial is absorbed by the wick.

An opaque plastic may be injection-molded directly over a clear plastic,with the opaque plastic region hiding from view internal components ofthe cartridge body 156 and the clear plastic region showing a largevolume of the reservoir 158 portion of the cartridge body 156 (see alsoFIGS. 16A-16B). The opaque plastic may be laser-etched to provide alabel directly on the cartridge body 156. The cartridge body 156 mayinclude graduations positioned relative to the central region 156B toprovide a user with an indication as to the volume of vaporizablematerial 187 contained within the reservoir 158.

The volume of the reservoir 158 may vary, but is generally sized to holdsufficient vaporizable material for delivering at least one dose of thematerial. The volume of the reservoir 158 may be between about 0.2 mL toabout 2 mL, in other implementations between 0.4 mL to about 1.2 mL, orin still other implementations between about 0.4 mL to about 0.8 mL. Thereservoir 158 may be pre-filled or filled prior to, during, and afteruse as well be described more below.

Again with respect to FIGS. 12-14 , the central cannula 172 extendingthrough the reservoir 158 defines the vaporization chamber 1005 thattogether with the central channel 1015 directs vapor flow towards themouthpiece 152. The central cannula 172 defining the vaporizing chambermay be a generally cylindrical element extending from a bottom plate1072 to the proximal tap 1018. The central cannula 172 may extendcoaxial with the longitudinal axis A of the cartridge 150 up through thereservoir 158 such that the reservoir 158 surrounds the central cannula172. The base region of the vaporization chamber 1005 may have anenlarged volume and a greater inner diameter compared to an innerdiameter of the proximal tap 1018. As described above, the proximal tap1018 may insert into and seal (i.e., via the sealing ring 171) with thecentral channel 1015 of the proximal end region 156A of the cartridgebody 156. The proximal tap 1018 may define an opening 1022 near itsupper-most end such that the vaporization chamber 1005 of the centralcannula 172 may be in fluid communication with the central channel 1015via the opening 1022. Vapor from the vaporization chamber 1005 may flowthrough the opening 1022 in the proximal tap 1018 into the centralchannel 1015 and out the one or more openings 154 of the mouthpiece 152.

The enlarged base of the central cannula 172 may be coupled to thebottom plate 1072. The bottom plate 1072 may be a generally planarfeature coupled to the base of the central cannula 172 that forms a rimaround the base. The lower surface of the bottom plate 1072 may includedistal extensions configured to extend through the internal sealinggasket 173, which will be described in more detail below. The uppersurface of the bottom plate 1072 may define, at least in part, a lowersurface of the reservoir 158 and the lower surface of the bottom plate1072 may abut against the internal sealing gasket 173, which will bediscussed in more detail below. As best shown in FIGS. 14, 17 , and alsoFIG. 24 , the bottom plate 1072 may include a central aperture 1073 suchthat the vaporization chamber 1005 remains open on a distal end toprovide a vapor flow passageway through the cartridge body 156 to themouthpiece 152. The central aperture 1073 may be elongated such that itforms an oval, elliptical, or other elongate shape having a minor axisand a major axis. A middle portion of the central aperture 1073 may bealigned with the vaporization chamber 1005 and at least partiallyencircled by the central cannula 172. As such, the middle portion of thecentral aperture 1073 may be generally rounded or circular in shapesimilar to a cross-sectional shape of the base of the central cannula172. Two outer portions of the central aperture 1073 (i.e., along themajor axis) may extend beyond the base of the central cannula 172 due tothe elongate shape of the central aperture 1073. These outer portions ofthe central aperture 1073 may be narrower than the middle portionproviding the central aperture 1073 with a keyhole shape. The centralaperture 1073 may have other shapes and may also be made up of aplurality of openings through the bottom plate 1072.

The cartridge 150 may include a vaporizing assembly of vapor-generatingcomponents. The vapor-generating components may include a heater 166configured to heat the vaporizable material to a sufficient temperaturethat it may vaporize. The vapor-generating components may be arranged asan atomizer or cartomizer or oven. The vapor may be released to avaporization chamber where the gas phase vapor may condense, forming anaerosol cloud having typical liquid vapor particles with particleshaving a diameter of average mass of approximately 1 micron or greater.In some cases, the diameter of average mass may be approximately 0.1-1micron.

The heater 166 of the vaporizing assembly may cause the vaporizablematerial to be converted from a condensed form (e.g., a solid, a liquid,a solution, a suspension, a part of an at least partially unprocessedplant material, etc.) to the gas phase. After conversion of thevaporizable material to the gas phase, and depending on the type ofvaporizer, the physical and chemical properties of the vaporizablematerial, and/or other factors, at least some of the gas-phasevaporizable material may condense to form particulate matter in at leasta partial local equilibrium with the gas phase as part of an aerosol,which may form some or all of an inhalable dose provided by thevaporizer for a given puff or draw on the vaporizer. It will beunderstood that the interplay between gas and condensed phases in anaerosol generated by a vaporizer may be complex and dynamic, as factorssuch as ambient temperature, relative humidity, chemistry, flowconditions in airflow paths (both inside the vaporizer and in theairways of a human or other animal), mixing of the gas-phase oraerosol-phase vaporizable material with other air streams, etc., mayaffect one or more physical parameters of an aerosol. In somevaporizers, and particularly for vaporizers for delivery of morevolatile vaporizable materials, the inhalable dose may existpredominantly in the gas phase (i.e., formation of condensed phaseparticles may be very limited).

Vaporizers for use with liquid vaporizable materials (e.g., neatliquids, suspensions, solutions, mixtures, etc.) typically include anatomizer in which a wicking element (also referred to herein as a wick168), which may include any material capable of causing passive fluidmotion, for example, by capillary pressure) conveys an amount of aliquid vaporizable material to a part of the atomizer that includes theheating element. The wicking element is generally configured to drawliquid vaporizable material from the reservoir configured to contain(and that may in use contain) the liquid vaporizable material such thatthe liquid vaporizable material may be vaporized by heat delivered fromthe heating element.

The heater 166 may be or include one or more of a conductive heater, aradiative heater, and a convective heater. One type of vaporizingheating element is a resistive heating element, which may be constructedof or at least include a material (e.g., a metal or alloy, for example anickel-chromium alloy, or a non-metallic resistor) configured todissipate electrical power in the form of heat when electrical currentis passed through one or more resistive segments of the heating element.In some implementations of the current subject matter, an atomizer mayinclude a vaporizing heating element that includes resistive coil orother heating element wrapped around, positioned within, integrated intoa bulk shape of, pressed into thermal contact with, or otherwisearranged to deliver heat to a wicking element to cause a liquidvaporizable material drawn by the wicking element from a reservoir to bevaporized for subsequent inhalation by a user in a gas and/or acondensed (e.g., aerosol particles or droplets) phase. Other wickingelement, heating element, and/or atomizer assembly configurations arealso possible, as discussed further below.

Certain vaporizers may also or alternatively be configured to create aninhalable dose of gas-phase and/or aerosol-phase vaporizable materialvia heating of a non-liquid vaporizable material, such as for example asolid-phase vaporizable material or plant material containing thevaporizable material. In such vaporizers, a resistive heating elementmay be part of or otherwise incorporated into or in thermal contact withthe walls of an oven or other heating chamber into which the non-liquidvaporizable material is placed. Alternatively, a resistive heatingelement or elements may be used to heat air passing through or past thenon-liquid vaporizable material to cause convective heating of thenon-liquid vaporizable material. In still other examples, a resistiveheating element or elements may be disposed in intimate contact withplant material such that direct conductive heating of the plant materialoccurs from within a mass of the plant material (e.g., as opposed toonly by conduction inward from walls of an oven).

Still with respect to FIGS. 13-14 and also FIG. 17 , the heater 166 maybe configured to heat and/or vaporize at least a portion of thevaporizable material drawn towards the heater 166 from the reservoir158. The central cannula 172 defining the vaporization chamber 1005 isconfigured to couple to the heater 166 configured to generate heat toprovide vaporization of the vaporizable material contained in thereservoir 158. In some implementations, the heater 166 of the vaporizingassembly may include a resistive element such as a heating coil 167 inthermal contact with a wick 168 of the vaporizing assembly. The wick 168may be formed of any of a variety of materials, including metals,polymer, natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or combinations of these. Forexample, the wick 168 may be formed of silica fibers, cotton, ceramic,hemp, stainless steel mesh, rope cables, and/or any porous medium, suchas for example sintered glass beads. The wick 168 is porous and providesa capillary pathway for fluid within the reservoir 158 through and intothe wick 168. The capillary pathway is generally large enough to permitwicking of sufficient material to replace vaporized liquid transferredfrom the reservoir 158 by capillary action (wicking) duringvaporization, but may be small enough to prevent leakage of thevaporizable material out of the cartridge during normal operation,including when pressure is applied to outside the cartridge 150. Thewick 168 may have a size configured to handle high viscosity liquids. Insome implementations, the wick 168 may have a diameter that is at leastabout 1.5 mm. The wick may be larger than 1.5 mm in diameter (e.g.,about 1.9 mm or larger, about 2.0 mm or larger, about 2.1 mm or larger,about 2.2 mm or larger, about 2.3 mm or larger, about 2.4 mm or larger,about 2.5 mm or larger, etc., including between about 1.8 mm and about 5mm, between about 1.9 mm and about 4 mm, between about 2 mm and about 4mm, etc.). The material of the wick 168 is configured to draw the liquidvaporizable material from the reservoir 158 into the vaporizationchamber 1005 without the need for a pump or other mechanical movingpart. In some implementations, the tension of the heating coil 167 woundaround the wick 168 may vary. Winding the heating coil 167 tighterand/or with additional windings may create a larger heating surface areato create more intense or concentrated heating of the vaporizablematerial. Likewise, reducing the diameter of the wick may also createmore intense or concentrated heating of the vaporizable material.

Alternative configurations may include gravity-fed, capillary-fed,micro-pump, or collapsible bladders which operate under pressuredifferentials. Although the heater 166 is described herein asincorporating a heating coil, it should be appreciated that otherconfigurations may be used and that the resistive element need not beshaped as a coil. The heater 166 also need not be a coil/wickconfiguration. In some implementations, the heater 166 incorporates apiezo aerosolizer to generate droplets of the vaporizable material.

The heating coil 167 may be a resistance wire wrapped around the wick168 and connected to a positive and negative pole of a current source.The coil 167 may increase in temperature as a result of the currentflowing through the wire to generate heat. The heat may be transferredto at least a portion of the vaporizable material through conductive,convective, and/or radiative heat transfer such that at least a portionof the vaporizable material vaporizes. Air drawn into the vaporizationchamber 1005 may carry the vapor away from the heater 166.

The heater 166 may extend across the air path within the vaporizationchamber 1005, such as in a transverse direction. Still with respect toFIGS. 13-14 and also FIG. 17 , the central cannula 172 may be arrangedcoaxial with the longitudinal axis A of the device and the wick 168 mayextend orthogonal to the longitudinal axis A through the central cannula172. The wick 168 is preferably positioned near a distal-most end regionof the reservoir 158 such that the vaporizable material in the reservoir158 may be fully used. A pair of lateral openings 1074 a,b may extendthrough the walls of the central cannula 172 near its base where thecentral cannula 172 couples to the bottom plate 1072. The pair oflateral openings 1074 a,b may be aligned across from one another onopposing sides of the central cannula 172. The openings 1074 a,b areprovided and sized for coupling to the heater 166. As described above,the bottom plate 1072 and the central aperture 1073 extending throughthe bottom plate 1072 may have a major axis and a minor axis. Theelongate shape of the central aperture 1073 provides for two outerportions along the major axis of the bottom plate 1072 to extend beyondthe base of the central cannula 172. The two outer portions of thecentral aperture 1073 may be aligned with the lateral openings 1074 a,bof the central cannula 172 thereby forming an enlarged slot near thebase of the central cannula 172 where it couples with the bottom plate1072. The wick 168 may extend through these lateral openings 1074 a,band within this slot.

In some implementations, the wick 168 of the heater 166 may include acentral portion 1060 and opposing ends 1065 a,b. The heating coil 167may be wrapped around the central portion 1060 of the wick 168, which inturn may be positioned within the vaporization chamber 1005. Theopposing ends 1065 a,b of the wick 168 may be positioned outside thevaporization chamber 1005 by extending laterally outward through thelateral openings 1074 a,b of the central cannula 172. As such, theopposing ends 1065 a,b may be positioned within the internal volume ofthe reservoir 158 whereas the central portion 1060 of the wick 168wrapped by the heating coil 167 may be positioned inside thevaporization chamber 1005 of the central cannula 172. The leads 1067 ofthe heating coil 167 may extend away from the central portion 1060 ofthe wick 168 and down through the central aperture 1073 of the bottomplate 1072 out of the vaporization chamber 1005. The leads 1067 mayextend into the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156 wherethe leads 1067 may electrically couple with the power pin receptacles160 a,b, which will be described in more detail below.

As mentioned, the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156 mayhouse the internal sealing gasket 173 coupled to a lower supportstructure 174. The internal sealing gasket 173 may be positionedgenerally under the bottom plate 1072 of the central cannula 172 andattached to an upper surface of the lower support structure 174. Thisplacement of the internal sealing gasket 173 serves to seal thereservoir 158 on the distal or bottom end and thereby reduce oreliminate leaking of vaporizable material out of the reservoir 158, forexample, into the electrical components contained in the distal endregion 156C of the cartridge 150 as well as the vaporizer body 110. Theinternal sealing gasket 173 may be, in some implementations, anoversized elastic or rubberized material that plugs various openings ina distal end region of the device and forms a seal between the reservoir158 and the lower support structure 174 when under compression. Thus,the internal sealing gasket 173 may be sized and shaped to fit betweenthe reservoir 158 and the lower support structure 174 to seal anyopenings therebetween.

Now with respect to FIGS. 17-18, 19A-19B, the internal sealing gasket173 may be defined generally by an upper region and a lower regionseparated by a midline region. A central opening 195 may extend throughthe internal sealing gasket 173, thus providing the internal sealinggasket 173 with a generally annular structure. The central opening 195may align with the middle portion of the central aperture 1073 throughthe bottom plate 1072 to allow for air flow through the internal sealinggasket 173 into the vaporization chamber 1005. When the upper region ofthe internal sealing gasket 173 abuts against the bottom plate 1072 ofthe central cannula 172, the distal extensions of the central cannula172 projecting from the lower surface of the bottom plate 1072 extenddown through the central opening 195 of the internal sealing gasket 173.As discussed above, the leads 1067 of the heating coil 167 may extendaway from the central portion 1060 of the wick 168 and down through thecentral aperture 1073 of the bottom plate 1072 and through the centralopening 195 of the internal sealing gasket 173 in order to electricallycouple with the power pin receptacles 160 a,b, within the lower supportstructure 174 which will be described in more detail below.

The upper region of the internal sealing gasket 173 is configured toseal the distal end region of the reservoir 158, the lower region of theinternal sealing gasket 173 is configured to seal with the lower supportstructure 174, and the midline region of the internal sealing gasket 173is configured to seal with an inner surface of the distal end region156C of the cartridge body 156. The upper region of the internal sealinggasket 173 may include a pair of surface features 197 a,b projectingupward from a generally planar upper surface (see FIG. 19B). Thegenerally planar upper surface is configured to abut against thegenerally planar lower surface of the bottom plate 1072 of the centralcannula 172. When the upper surface of the internal sealing gasket 173abuts against the lower surface of the bottom plate 1072, the surfacefeatures 197 a,b may project through the outer portions of the centralaperture 1073 of the bottom plate 1072. The middle portion of thecentral aperture 1073 is aligned with the longitudinal axis A of thecartridge and at least partially encircled by the central cannula 172.The central aperture 1073 may additionally include two outer portions oneither side of the middle portion that are positioned generally outsidethe perimeter of the central cannula 172 base (i.e., along the majoraxis of the plate). The pair of surface features 197 a,b projecting fromthe upper surface of the internal sealing gasket 173 extends up throughthe outer portions of the central aperture 1073 on either side of thecentral cannula 172 thereby sealing these outer portions of the centralaperture 1073. At the same time, the distal extensions of the centralcannula 172 on the lower surface of the bottom plate 1072 may extenddown through the central opening 195 in the internal sealing gasket 173.This provides a tight fit coupling between the bottom plate 1072 of thecentral cannula 172 and the internal sealing gasket 173. The pair ofsurface features 197 a,b projecting from the upper surface of theinternal sealing gasket 173 may include a region configured to interfacewith and laterally support the heater 166. For example, the opposingends 1065 a,b of the wick 168 extending through the lateral openings1074 a,b may engage with at least a portion of the pair of surfacefeatures 197 a,b. The pair of surface features 197 a,b may also sealwith the wick 168. As such, the pair of surface features 197 a,b maygenerally align with the location of the lateral openings 1074 a,b ofthe central cannula 172 through which the opposing ends 1065 a,b of thewick 168 extend.

As described above, the wick 168 may extend orthogonal to thelongitudinal axis A at the base of the reservoir 158. The opposing ends1065 a,b of the wick 168 may be positioned within the reservoir 158 andthe central portion 1060 of the wick 168 wound by the heating coil 167may be positioned within the vaporization chamber 1005. The upper halfof the wick 168 may be sealed by the walls of the central cannula 172defining the lateral openings 1074 a,b. The lower half of the wick 168may engage and seal with the pair surface features 197 a,b of theinternal sealing gasket 173. The pair of surface features 197 a,b may besized and shaped to insert through the central aperture 1073 of thebottom plate 1072 helping to seal the central aperture 1073 (see FIGS.17, 19A-19B). At least a portion of the pair of surface features 197 a,bextends a distance toward the opposing ends 1065 a,b of the wick 168.This portion of the pair of surface features 197 a,b may include a wickmating surface sized and shape to complement the cylindrical surface ofthe wick 168. For example, the portion may have a semi-circular wickmating surface configured to seal with the cylindrical outer surface ofa region of the wick 168. The portion of the pair of surface features197 a,b may also laterally support the opposing ends 1065 a,b of thewick 168.

As mentioned, the internal sealing gasket 173 also may include a midlineregion between the upper and lower regions. The midline region of theinternal sealing gasket 173 may seal with the internal surface of thecartridge body 156. In an implementation, the midline region of theinternal sealing gasket 173 may be encircled by a seal having dualsealing beads 198. The dual sealing beads 198 are configured to providea circumferential seal with the distal end region 156C of the cartridgebody 156 (see FIG. 19B). For example, the dual sealing bands 198 may beprovided for redundancy, to prevent vaporizable material from leakingfrom the reservoir 158.

Still with respect to FIGS. 17, and 19A-19B, the lower region of theinternal sealing gasket 173 may include a pair of penetrable surfacefeatures 196 a,b projecting downward from the lower surface of theinternal sealing gasket 173. When the lower surface of the internalsealing gasket 173 abuts against an upper surface of the lower supportstructure 174, the pair of penetrable surface features 196 a,b extenddistally and insert within corresponding ones of the pair of openings1080 in the upper surface of the lower support structure 174, as will bedescribed in more detail below.

The various features of the internal sealing gasket 173 on the upper,lower, and perimeter surfaces form an integrated sealing element thatmay seal a variety of locations within the cartridge 150 (i.e., thefilling ports, the wick, and the distal end of the reservoir 158). Theintegrated seals provided by the internal sealing gasket 173 maysimplify assembly and manufacturing, as will be described in more detailbelow.

As mentioned, the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156 mayhouse the lower support structure 174. The lower support structure 174may include an upper region 1077 and a lower region 1078 (see FIG. 19B,FIG. 20C, and FIG. 21A). The upper region 1077 is configured to matewith the lower region of the internal sealing gasket 173. For example,the upper region 1077 may include the pair of openings 1080 in the uppersurface that are sized and shaped to receive the pair of penetrablesurface features 196 a,b projecting downward from the lower surface ofthe internal sealing gasket 173. The upper region 1077 of the lowersupport structure 174 may also include a central aperture 1079 extendingthrough its thickness that is configured to align with the centralopening 195 of the internal sealing gasket 173 that, in turn, alignswith the central aperture 1073 extending through the bottom plate 1072.The central aperture 1073 in the bottom plate 1072, the central opening195 in the internal sealing gasket 173, and the central aperture 1079 ofthe lower support structure 174 are configured to receive distalextensions of the central cannula 172 and align with the vaporizationchamber 1005 to allow for air flow through the distal end region 156C ofthe cartridge body 156.

A pair of air flow channels 1085 may extend through the lower supportstructure 174. The air flow channels 1085 each communicate on a distalend with a respective one of a pair of the air flow inlets 162 a,bconfigured to remain in fluid communication with the atmosphere duringuse of the device. The distal end of the lower support structure 174 maydefine the air flow inlets 162 a,b into the air flow channels 1085extending through the lower support structure 174. The air flow channels1085 extend from the air flow inlets 162 a,b through the lower region1078 of the lower support structure into the upper region 1077 of thelower support structure 174. The air flow channels 1085 extend to thepair of openings 1080 in the upper region 1077 of the lower supportstructure 174. Thus, the pair of air flow channels 1085 may extendthrough the entire thickness of the lower support structure 174 betweenthe air flow inlets 162 a,b in the lower surface to the pair of openings1080 in the upper surface. The internal sealing gasket 173 may bepositioned in the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156providing sealing between the reservoir 158 and the air flow channels1085 of the lower support structure 174. The pair of penetrable surfacefeatures 196 a,b projecting downward from the lower surface of theinternal sealing gasket 173 insert through the pair of openings 1080 andseat within an upper portion or proximal end of the air flow channels1085 thereby sealing the upper end of the air flow channels 1085preventing leaking of the vaporizable material out of the reservoir 158through the air flow channels 1085. The pair of air flow inlets 162 a,bthrough the lower surface of the lower support structure 174 into theair flow channels 1085 remain unobstructed. The air flow inlets 162 a,bmay align with or be positioned in fluid communication with the side airinlets 116 a,b, which will be described in more detail below. Each ofthe air flow channels 1085 extending through the lower support structure174 from the lower air flow inlets 162 a,b to the pair of openings 1080may additionally include a side channel outlet 1087. The side channeloutlet 1087 may be positioned a distance distal to the pair ofpenetrable surface features 196 a,b projecting into the air flowchannels 1085 and a distance proximal to the lower air flow inlets 162a,b into the air flow channels 1085. The length of the air flow channels1085 allows for the positioning of these side channel outlets 1087 awayfrom the lower air flow inlets 162 a,b such that, in the event of a leakinto the bottom volume of the cartridge body 156, the air flow channels1085 avoid being significantly filled in a manner that could block theair flow through or cause leaking out of the side channel outlets 1087.

The air flow inlets 162 a,b into the air flow channels 1085 form anentry point for air into the cartridge 150 as well as an entry point fora filler to fill the reservoir 158 with vaporizable material, which isdescribed in more detail below.

FIGS. 20A-20C illustrate air flow path 181 through the cartridge 150upon coupling the cartridge 150 to a vaporizer body 110. As describedelsewhere herein, the outer shell 112 of the cartridge receptacle 114 ofthe vaporizer body 110 may include one or more side air inlets 116 a,b(see also FIGS. 1C and 1D). As mentioned above, the air inlets 116 a,bmay be aligned with or positioned in fluid communication with the lowerair flow inlets 162 a,b leading into the air flow channels 1085 from thelower region 1078 of the lower support structure 174. Air may enter thecartridge 150 through the air inlets 116 a,b and continue through thelower air flow inlets 162 a,b and into the air flow channels 1085 of thelower region 1078 of the lower support structure 174. FIGS. 20A-20C andalso FIGS. 18, 19A-19B show air may pass from the air flow channels 1085of the lower region 1078 of the lower support structure 174 through theside channel outlets 1087 before passing up through the upper region1077 into the vaporization chamber 1005. The lower support structure 174may act as a plenum for the air, which is then directed through thecentral opening 195 in the internal sealing gasket 173, past the wick168 and heating coil 167, and through the vaporization chamber 1005 ofthe central cannula 172. The air flow path 181 may continue through theopening 1022 of the proximal tap 1018, into the central channel 1015 ofthe proximal end region 156A of the cartridge body 156 and out theopening 154 of the mouthpiece 152. The vapor may then be inhaled by auser. The mouthpiece 152 may incorporate a baffle 1088 near the opening154 to allow the vapor to cool via a longer, turbulent flow path beforeentering the mouth of a user (see FIG. 20B).

The lower region 1078 of the lower support structure 174 is configuredto mate with the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156. As afurther leak protection in this region of the cartridge, the lowerregion 1078 of the lower support structure 174 may include a bottom tankseal 176 extending circumferentially around its perimeter (see FIGS.15C, 18D, and 22A). The bottom tank seal 176 may further block anymaterial that leaks from the wick 168 into the distal end region 156C ofthe cartridge body 156 from leaking out of the cartridge body 156. Thebottom tank seal 176 may be over-molded around the distal end of thelower region 1078.

In another implementation, the bottom tank seal 176 may incorporate anoutward protruding rib 176 a along its circumference, as shown in FIGS.36A and 36B. FIG. 36A is a front perspective view illustrating detailsof the central cannula 172 and the lower support structure 174, and FIG.36B is a front cross-sectional view thereof. The material of the bottomtank seal 176 may be such that it absorbs material that is being blockedand may thus need room to expand to account for this absorption. Forexample, the bottom tank seal 176 may be a Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR).The ribbed design shown in FIGS. 36A-36C provides for absorption andexpansion of the bottom tank seal 176 through the rib 176 a while stillblocking leaked material from the distal end region 156C of thecartridge body 156.

The internal sealing gasket 173 and the lower support structure 174 mayprovide redundant sealing to prevent liquid leaks from the reservoir. Asdescribed above, the internal sealing gasket 173 positioned in a distalend region 156C of the cartridge body 156 may include an upper regionconfigured to seal a bottom end of the reservoir 158, a midline regionthat may include the first circumferential perimeter seal (e.g. 198)that is configured to seal with an inner surface of the cartridge body156, and a lower region. The lower support structure 174 may also bepositioned in the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156. Thelower support structure 174 may include the upper region 1077 configuredto seal with the lower region of the internal sealing gasket 173 and thelower region 1078. The lower region 1078 of the lower support structure174 may include the second circumferential perimeter seal (e.g., bottomtank seal 176) that is configured to seal with an inner surface of thecartridge body 156. The first circumferential perimeter seal provided bythe dual sealing beads 198 and the second circumferential perimeter sealprovided by the bottom tank seal 176 provide redundant sealing toprevent liquid leaks from the reservoir 158 and out of the cartridge150.

One or more absorbent pads 175 a,b may be positioned within the distalend region 156C of the cartridge body 156 to prevent leakage of thevaporizable material from the reservoir 158 (see, for example, FIGS. 14and 19B). The pads 175 a,b in addition to the bottom tank seal 176 add alayer of redundancy against vaporizable material leaking from thecartridge 150. The pads 175 a,b may be oriented to prevent leakage inthis region of the cartridge 150 without disrupting airflow or formationof vapor. For example, the absorbent pads 175 a,b may be positioned andfitted within the lower support structure 174 off-axis from the air flowpath 181. The configuration of the pads 175 a,b may vary. In someimplementations, the cartridge 150 may include a pair of absorbent pads175 a,b that are attached to opposing sides of the lower supportstructure 174, for example, between the upper and lower regions 1077,1078 to absorb excess vaporizable material. The pads 175 a,b may bewedged between the lower support structure 174 and the long, interiorwalls of the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body 156. The pads175 a,b may align generally parallel to each other and to the flat sidesof the device. The pads 175 a,b may be spaced away from one anothercreating a gap between them that prevents the pads from interfering withthe air flow path 181 through the distal end region 156C of thecartridge body 156. The pads 175 a,b may have any of a variety of shapesconfigured to fill this region of the cartridge 150 includingrectangular, circular, ovoid, triangular, square, rings, or other shape.The size and shape of the pads 175 a,b may be selected to minimizeinterference with the air path through the cartridge 150 whilemaximizing moisture and particle collection. Also, the size and shape ofthe pads 175 a,b may be configured to fit within open spaces of thelower support structure 174 thereby filling the distal end region 156Cof the cartridge body 156. For example, FIG. 19B illustrates the pads175 a,b may incorporate a keyed shape or a keying feature 1761. The pads175 a,b having the keyed shape or keying feature 1761 may be configuredto wedge within a respective keyed recess 1762 located between the upperregion 1077 and the lower region 1078. The keyed recess 1762 may have ashape corresponding to the keyed shape or keying feature 1761 of therespective one of the pads 175 a,b. The lower support structure 174 mayhave a first keyed recess 1762 on a first side configured to receive afirst pad 175 a and a second keyed recess 1762 on a second sideconfigured to receive a second pad 175 b such that each of the first andsecond keyed recesses may have their own respective pad 175 a,b wedgedtherein. The keying feature 1761 of the pads 175 a,b provides a snug,wedged fit with the lower support structure 174 thereby preventingshifting of the pads relative to the device that could impact air flowthrough the device. As discussed above, air may pass from the air flowchannels 1085 of the lower region 1078 of the lower support structure174 through the side channel outlets 1087 before passing up through theupper region 1077 into the vaporization chamber 1005. The snug, wedgedfit of the pads 175 a,b prevents the pads from encroaching on this airflow path that could result in blocking the air flow path or reducingthe efficiency of the path.

FIG. 19C illustrates an additional implementation consistent with thecurrent subject matter in which the first absorbent pad 175 a ispositioned and fitted within the lower support structure 174 without theuse of the keying feature 1761 shown in FIG. 19B. As shown in FIG. 19C,the first absorbent pad 175 a is fitted between the upper and lowerregions 1077, 1078 and between side regions 1083, 1084 of the lowersupport structure 174 to provide a snug, wedged fit with the lowersupport structure 174. The side regions 1083, 1084 extend upward fromthe lower region 1078 of the lower support structure 174. The firstabsorbent pad 175 a thus occupies an area into which excess vaporizablematerial may flow, thereby preventing excess vaporizable material fromleaking into the air flow path.

The opposing side of the lower support structure 174 may have a similarconfiguration and geometry, and may include an absorbent pad and sideregions for aiding in holding the absorbent pad to perform the same orsimilar functions with respect to excess vaporizable material.

Although sets of absorbent pads are shown and described in certainconfigurations, it should be appreciated that fewer or more pads may beincorporated within the cartridge 150. For example, the absorbent pad170 in the proximal end region of the cartridge 150 may be formed bymore than a single ring-shaped pad (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5 or more).Similarly, the pair of absorbent pads 175 a,b in the distal end regionof the cartridge 150 may be a single pad or greater than two pads.Additionally, the absorbent pads may be located in only one region ofthe cartridge 150.

As mentioned above, the leads 1067 of the heating coil 167 extendthrough the central aperture 1073 of the bottom plate 1072 as well asthrough the central opening 195 of the internal sealing gasket 173 intothe lower support structure 174. The leads 1067 of the heating coil 167may electrically couple with the power pin receptacles 160 a,b withinthe lower region 1078 of the lower support structure 174. The power pinreceptacles 160 a,b may be power pin receptacles configured to mate withthe respective power pins (or contacts) 122 a,b of the vaporizer body110, for example, pins projecting upward from a bottom end of thereceptacle, as described elsewhere herein. The power pins 122 a,b areconfigured to insert into the respective power pin receptacles 160 a,b;the engagement between the power pins 122 a,b and the power pinreceptacles 160 a,b allowing for the transfer of energy from an internalpower source of the vaporizer body 110 to the leads 1067 of the heatingcoil 167. However, the wick 168 and coil 167 assembly performed by handmay pose difficult in ensuring the leads 1067 of the coil 167 areproperly inserted into the power pin receptacles 160 a,b. Thus, theupper region 1077 of the lower support structure 174 may include a pairof coil guides 179 a,b aligned with the central opening 195 and thepower pin receptacles 160 a,b (see FIGS. 17 and 19A). The coil guides179 a,b are configured to receive and securely hold the leads 1067 ofthe heating coil 167 as well as reduce the free space between thewick/coil assembly within the vaporization chamber 1005 and the powerpin receptacles 160 a,b to improve assembly.

The upper surface of the lower support structure 174 may abut against alower surface of the internal sealing gasket 173 such that the pair ofcoil guides 179 a,b are aligned with and positioned below the centralopening 195. The pair of coil guides 179 a,b, in turn, may be alignedwith and positioned above their respective power pin receptacles 160a,b. The built-in coil guides 179 a,b may be provided within an upperregion of a respective one or the power pin receptacles 160 a,b. Thecoil guides 179 a,b may include a bore extending through a thickness ofthe upper region 1077 of the lower support structure 174 from agenerally circular opening 1081 on the upper surface of the upper region1077 to another generally circular opening 1082 leading towards thepower pin receptacles 160 a,b within the lower support structure 174.The bore of the coil guides 179 a,b may be cylindrical and have an innerdiameter sized to receive and mate with the outer surface of the leads1067 such that the leads 1067 are securely held within the coil guides179 a,b. The opening 1081 into the bore of the coil guides 179 a,b onthe upper surface may have an inner diameter that is slightly largerthan the inner diameter of the bore. For example, the opening 1081 intothe bore of the coil guide 179 a,b may be funnel-shaped to easeinsertion of each the leads 1067 into their respective coil guides 179a,b. The coil guides 179 a,b may advantageously eliminate the cumbersomeinstallation by hand of properly inserting the leads 1067 of the coil167 into the power pin receptacles 160 a,b. The coil guides 179 a,b andalso the power pin receptacles 160 a,b may be insert-molded into thelower support structure 174.

FIGS. 18, 22A-22B illustrate features relating to filling a cartridge150 with a vaporizable material, in accordance with some implementationsof the current subject matter. The cartridge 150 may be filled withoutthe need to disassemble the sealing components of the reservoir 158. Asdescribed above, the air flow inlets 162 a,b into the air flow channels1085 form an entry point for air into the cartridge 150 as well as anentry point for a filler to fill the reservoir 158 with vaporizablematerial. Additionally, the cartridge 150 described herein may be filledthrough the distal end region 156C of the cartridge 150 where thecartridge 150 is in any orientation relative to gravity. Thus, thecartridge 150 may be filled with a filler 182 in either an upwardorientation with the mouthpiece 152 up (FIG. 22A) or a downwardorientation with the mouthpiece 152 down (FIG. 22B). In someimplementations, the cartridge 150 may be filled in an upwardorientation and the fill path for filling the reservoir 158 is the airflow channel 1085. The insertion point for filling the cartridge 150 maybe one of the air flow inlets 162 a,b (see FIGS. 17-18 ). The filler 182may insert through one of the air flow inlets 162 a,b from the distalend of the cartridge 150 and into the air flow channel 1085. The filler182 may be advanced through the air flow channel 1085 until the distalend of the filler 182 makes contact with the penetrable surface feature196 of the internal sealing gasket 173 positioned within opening 1080 ofthe lower support structure 174. The filler 182 may penetrate thepenetrable surface feature 196 upon further insertion and the distal endof the filler 182 inserted into the lower end of the reservoir 158.

The air flow inlet 162 a,b may include an alignment feature fordirecting the filler 182 towards the penetrable surface feature 196 ofthe internal sealing gasket 173 in an appropriate orientation.Alternatively or additionally, the arrangement of the air flow channel1085 and the penetrable surface feature 196 relative to the opposingends 1065 a,b of the wick 168 may be configured to guide the filler 182into the reservoir 158 such that a distal end of the filler 182 avoidsmaking direct contact with the opposing ends 1065 a,b of the wick 168.The distal end of the filler 182 may be inserted a distance beyond thelocation of the wick 168 towards an upper end region of the reservoir158. The cartridge 150 may be filled without waiting for the vaporizablematerial to settle after filling. This upright filling of the cartridge150 also allows for easier filling using automated filling equipment.

The filler 182 may be any of a variety of tubular structures configuredto deliver a fluid through it, including a cannula or a fill needle. Thefiller 182 may be a needle having a beveled or a sharpened distal tipwith at least one opening through which the vaporizable material canexit the bore of the needle. The distal tip of the filler 182 may beconfigured to pierce the material of the internal sealing gasket 173 andbe inserted into a region of the reservoir 158. The material of theinternal sealing gasket 173 and the penetrable surface feature 196 maybe self-sealing, such that the penetrable surface feature 196 may bepierced by the filler 182 for filling the reservoir 158, and once thefiller 182 is removed, the penetrable surface feature of the internalsealing gasket 173 self-seals. The filler 182 may be a non-coring needlesuch that the integrity of the internal sealing gasket 173 is maintainedeven after removal of the filler 182 from the penetrable surface feature196. The filler 182 may also be blunt and the penetrable surface feature196 of the internal sealing gasket 173 incorporate a mechanical fillport, such as a poppet valve or other type of valve, or a pre-piercedseptum feature through which the blunt filler may insert.

Venting the air from the cartridge avoids pressure build-up, which cancause the air to push the vaporizable material out of the cartridgethrough the wick and create a leak. In some implementations, air withinthe reservoir 158 prior to filling may be vented during filling of thereservoir 158 with the filler 182. The air inside of the cartridge 150may be vented through the wick 168. For example, the filler 182 mayinject a vaporizable liquid into the reservoir 158. As the vaporizablematerial fills the reservoir 158 of the cartridge 150, air within thereservoir 158 may be displaced through the porous material of the wick168. The vented air may pass up through the vaporization chamber 1005and out the opening 154 in the mouthpiece 152 until the reservoir 158fills with the vaporizable liquid and no air is entrapped within thereservoir volume.

Air may vent through a dry porous wick 168 easily without muchresistance. However, once the wick 168 is wetted, air is substantiallyprevented from passing through the porous wick 168. As such, controllingwhen, where, and how the wick 168 is wetted during filling of thereservoir 158 may provide for a more efficient fill of the reservoir158.

As mentioned above, the reservoir 158 of the cartridge 150 describedherein may be filled from the distal end of the cartridge, but in anyorientation relative to gravity (i.e., mouthpiece 152 down or up). Whenthe cartridge 150 is positioned relative to gravity with the mouthpiece152 facing down (see FIG. 22B), the wick 168 is located at an upper endof the reservoir 158. A filler 182 inserted into the reservoir 158through the penetrable surface feature 196 of the internal sealinggasket 173 may be inserted past the location of the wick 168 to fill thereservoir 158 with vaporizable material without wetting the wick 168until the reservoir 158 is substantially filled. When the cartridge 150is positioned relative to gravity with the mouthpiece 152 facing up (seeFIG. 22A), the wick 168 is located at a lower end of the reservoir 158.A filler 182 inserted into the reservoir 158 through the penetrablesurface feature 196 of the internal sealing gasket 173 may be insertedpast the location of the wick 168. However, due to the forces of gravityany vaporizable material injected through the filler 182 may pool nearthe lower end of the reservoir 158 near the wick 168, thereby wetting itand potentially impacting the ability to vent through the wick 168.

The cartridge 150 may incorporate a flow director configured to directthe filling of the reservoir with vaporizable material when thecartridge is filled in the upright orientation. FIG. 27 illustrates animplementation of a flow director 1582. The flow director 1582 may varyin configuration, including but not limited to one or more of a fin, ribor other feature that protects at least one region of the wick 168 frombeing wetted by the vaporizable material entering the reservoir 158 fromthe filler 182. As described elsewhere herein, the wick 168 may includethe central portion 1060 positioned within the vaporization chamber 1005of the central cannula 172 and the opposing ends 1065 a,b positionedoutside the central cannula 172, for example, extending through thelateral openings 1074 a,b. The opposing ends 1065 a,b may be positionednear the bottom plate 1072 outside the central cannula 172 and the flowdirector 1582 may be positioned on an outer surface of the centralcannula 172 between the opposing ends 1065 a,b. The flow director 1582may be a pair of elongate elements projecting from the outer surface onopposite sides of the central cannula 172. The flow director 1582 may bepositioned between the location of the lateral openings 1072 a,b suchthat they project toward the inner wall of the central region 156B ofthe cartridge body 156. For example, where the opposing ends 1065 a,b ofthe wick 168 project outward from the central cannula 172 towards theminor edges of the cartridge body 156, the pair of flow directors 1582may project outward from the central cannula 172 towards the major edgesof the cartridge body 156. The flow directors 1582 may thereby dividethe reservoir 158 into substantially two volumes. The two volumes of thereservoir 158 may be in fluid communication with one another near aproximal end region of the reservoir 158. A first volume of thereservoir 158 may surround a first end 1065 a of the wick 168 and asecond volume may surround a second end 1065 b of the wick 168.

Still with respect to FIG. 27 , a fill path of vaporizable material isshown by arrow A. The filler 182 may insert from the distal end regionof the cartridge 150 through the internal sealing gasket 173 until thedistal end of the filler 182 enters the reservoir (not visible in FIG.27 ). The distal end of the filler 182 may insert through the internalsealing gasket 173 and project into the first volume of the reservoir,for example, the region of the reservoir surrounding the first end 1065a of the wick 168. The vaporizable material may be injected into thefirst volume of the reservoir and wet the first end 1065 a of the wick168. The presence of the flow directors 1582 may initially prevent thevaporizable material from entering the second volume of the reservoirsurrounding the second end 1065 b of the wick 168 and prevent them fromwetting. The second end 1065 b of the wick 168 may stay substantiallydry as the first volume of the reservoir begins to fill with vaporizablematerial from the filler. During this initial filling phase, theprotected second end 1065 b may vent air from the cartridge 150. Oncethe vaporizable material substantially fills the first volume of thereservoir it may reach an upper end of the flow directors 1582. Thevaporizable material may then flow over the upper end of the flowdirectors 1582 to enter the second volume of the reservoir (see arrow Aof FIG. 27 ). The protected second end 1065 b of the wick 168 may becomewet and unable to vent air through it, but only after both the first andsecond volumes of the reservoir become mostly filled with thevaporizable material. The viscosity of the vaporizable material providesfluid dynamics with respect the walls of the cartridge body allow forthe vaporizable material flowing over the upper end of the flowdirectors 1582 from spilling down onto the protected second end 1065 bof the wick 168 near the bottom of the reservoir. Instead, thevaporizable material may creep along the walls of the cartridge body 156towards the bottom of the reservoir allowing the second end 1065 b tocontinue venting air until the second volume of the reservoirsubstantially fills. As described elsewhere herein, the vaporizablematerial may include viscous oil-based vaporizable materials, includingcannabis oils. For example, the vaporizable material may includecannabis oil having between 40-100% cannabis oil extract. The viscousoil may include a carrier for improving vapor formation, such aspropylene glycol, glycerol, etc. The viscosity of the vaporizablematerials may be in a range between about 30 cP (centipoise) and 115 KcP(kilocentipoise), or between 40 cP and 113 KcP. These viscosities allowfor a controlled flow of the vaporizable material up and over the flowdirectors 1582 without spilling down onto the second end 1065 b of thewick 168 until the second volume of the reservoir is substantiallyfilled with the vaporizable material.

The cartridge 150 may be a single-use cartridge that is not configuredto be refilled with vaporizable liquid following use. The cartridge 150may also be configured for re-filling such that the cartridge 150 may beused more than once. Thus, in some implementations, for example, duringrefill of the reservoir 158 after the wick 168 is fully wetted, thefiller 182 may further incorporate a vent needle to allow for air withinthe reservoir 158 to exit the cartridge through the vent needle asopposed to through the wick 168. The vent needle may be part of thefiller 182. For example, the vent needle may also be arranged coaxiallyrelative to the filler 182, either surrounding a portion of the lengthof the filler 182 or extending through the bore of the filler 182 suchthat the filler 182 surrounds the vent. Alternatively, the vent needlemay be a separate needle inserted within a region of the reservoir 158,such as through a different portion of the internal sealing gasket 173,to vent air from the reservoir 158 while the fill needle is deliveringliquid into the reservoir 158. In either implementation, the vent needlemay be positioned or extended to a region of the reservoir 158 that isdistant from where the filler 182 is delivering fluid into the reservoir158 such that as the fluid from the filler 182 fills the reservoir, theair is displaced towards an opening into the vent needle. The filler182/vent needle arrangement may provide a passive, substantiallypressure neutral way to exchange fluids within the reservoir 158 torefill the cartridge.

Any of a variety of materials may be used for the cartridge 150.Portions of the cartridge 150 may be made of harder plastic materialsconfigured to be strong and resist cracking, compression, or otherdamage when placed under pressure. For example, one or more regions ofthe cartridge body 156 such as the region defining the reservoir 158 maybe formed of hard plastic materials, such as, for example, TrogamidCX7323 (BPA free). Other plastic materials for the cartridge body 156and the mouthpiece 152 may include, for example, Veradel A-301 (BPAfree). Other regions of the cartridge 150 such as the regions intendedto provide for sealing with other harder regions of the cartridge 150may be made of any of a variety of resilient or elastomeric materials.For example, the bottom tank seal 176 and the internal sealing gasket173 may be made from a variety of materials including rubber, such as,for example, fluorosilicone rubber (SHIN-ETSU FE-251-U). The mouthpieceseal 177 may also be made from a variety of materials including rubber,such as, for example, clear liquid silicone rubber (LSR). The seals 176and 177, the sealing ring 171, the internal sealing gasket 173, and thelower support structure 174 may be made from a variety of materials,such as Polypropylene and materials in the Nylon 6/3 orPolyethersulfone-based (PESU) classes, including but not limited toPESU, Nylon, Silicone, Nitrile, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM),PTFE, Fluorocarbons, and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The portionsof the cartridge 150 including the reservoir 158, the cartridge body156, the mouthpiece 152, the sealing ring 171, the internal sealinggasket 173, the bottom tank seal 176, the mouthpiece seal 177, and thelower support structure 174 are formed of durable materials that aresuitable for the functions they perform. A variety of materials,including glass, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, gold, and/orceramic, may be used for the components of the cartridge 150, includingbut not limited to the reservoir 158, the cartridge body 156, themouthpiece 152, the sealing ring 171, the internal sealing gasket 173,the bottom tank seal 176, and the mouthpiece seal 177.

As described above, a data tag 164 may be incorporated within a regionof the cartridge 150 to transmit, receive, and/or store relevantinformation about the cartridge 150 and/or the vaporizable materialcontained within. The tag 164 may allow for communication between thecartridge 150 and the vaporizer body 110 as well as between thecartridge 150 and an external computing device, such as a user device305 (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop), or a remote server 307. Thecommunication between the cartridge 150 provided by the tag 164 may beindependent of the vaporizer body 110 such that the cartridge 150 maycommunicate with an external computing device even when the cartridge150 is not coupled to the vaporizer body 110, as described elsewhereherein.

In some implementations, the tag 164 is a near-field communication (NFC)tag positioned near a bottom region of the cartridge 150. The tag 164may be positioned over a bottom plate of the lower support structure174. FIGS. 23A and 23B show perspective views of various components inunassembled and assembled configurations respectively. The tag 164 maybe adhered to the bottom plate of the lower support structure 174, forexample, by using a bottom base plate or base 184 (see FIGS. 23A-23B).The base 184 may be an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive(PSA) that is formed from an acrylic material or the like, and may havea thickness of, for example, about 0.06 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.09 mm,or 0.10 mm. The tag 164 may be an antenna trace made of copper or asimilar material and may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.05mm, 0.06 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.09 mm, or 0.10 mm. The tag 164 may beprotected by a protective layer 185, such as, for example, a plasticcover made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic or otherplastics. A variety of non-conductive materials, such as glass orceramic, may be used for the protective layer 185. The protective layer185 may have a thickness of, for example, about 0.08 mm, 0.09 mm, 0.10mm, 0.11 mm, or 0.12 mm. The overall thickness of the tag 164, with orwithout the base 184 and/or with or without the protective layer 185,may be, for example, about 0.05 mm, 0.06 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.08 mm, 0.10 mm,0.12 mm, 0.14 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.20 mm, 0.22 mm, 0.24 mm, 0.26 mm,0.28 mm, 0.30 mm, 0.32 mm, 0.34 mm, 0.36 mm, 0.38 mm, 0.40 mm, 0.42 mm,0.44 mm, 0.46 mm, 0.48 mm, or 0.50 mm.

The tag 164 may be a variety of shapes, including the generally planarelement with an upper surface, a lower surface and an outer perimetersuch as that shown in the figures. The outer perimeter of the tag 164may be identical to the outer perimeter of the cartridge 150 at itsdistal end 1020 such that its shape resembles the cross-sectional shapeof the distal end 1020 of the cartridge 150 so as not to interfere withcoupling between the cartridge 150 and the vaporizer body 110. The uppersurface of the tag 164 is configured to abut flush against the bottomplate of the lower support structure 174. The lower surface is similarlyplanar. As mentioned above, the tag 164 may be positioned on thecartridge 150 in any of a number of configurations, such as between thepower pin receptacle 160 a,b or encircling the power pin receptacles 160a,b.

In some implementations, the tag 164 has a circular or partiallycircular shape. The tag 164 may include at least one aperture extendingthrough its thickness such that the tag 164 surrounds the power pinreceptacles 160 a,b and air flow inlets 162 a,b at the distal end of thecartridge 150. In some implementations, such as those shown in FIGS. 23Aand 23B, the tag 164 may include a first aperture 1090 a extendingthrough its thickness that is configured to align with a first air flowinlet 162 a and a first power pin receptacle 160 a of the lower supportelement 174. The tag 164 may additionally include a second aperture 1090b configured to align with a second air flow inlet 162 b and the secondpower pin receptacle 160 b of the lower support structure 174. Theapertures 1090 a,b allow for the tag 164 to avoid covering the air flowinlets 162 a,b and the power pin receptacles 160 a,b for properfunctioning of the device.

In another implementation, as shown in FIG. 37A which is a bottomperspective view of the cartridge body 156, the tag 164 may include asingle aperture 1091 extending through its thickness such that thesingle aperture 1091 surrounds the power pin receptacles 160 a,b and theair flow inlets 162 a,b. This configuration eliminates the bridgeportion (which may in some cases not adhere sufficiently to the bottomplate of the lower support structure 174 due to its narrow width betweenthe apertures 1090 a,b) of the tag 164 between the first and secondapertures 1090 a,b shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B. The single aperture 1091may dip or extend slightly between the power pin receptacles 160 a,b toprovide more usable area of the tag 164 (e.g., providing more room foradditional antennae coils). Moreover, the air flow inlets 162 a,b may bemoved inward to also provide additional usable area of the tag 164.

FIGS. 37B-37D illustrate details of an additional implementation of thecartridge 150 with the tag 164 configured to be attached to the bottomplate of the lower support structure 174 of the cartridge 150. FIG. 37Bis a bottom perspective view of the cartridge 150 illustrating thecentral region 156B and the distal end region 156C of the cartridge body156, with the mouthpiece 152 coupled to the proximal end region 156A ofthe cartridge body 156 and the tag 164 coupled or otherwise attached tothe lower support structure 174 at the distal end region 156C. FIG. 37Cis a bottom perspective view of the cartridge 150 and the tag 164,illustrating placement of the tag 164 with respect to the cartridge 150.FIG. 37D is a perspective view of a portion of the lower supportstructure 174 without the tag 164 adhered thereto. As describedelsewhere herein, the placement of the tag 164 on a bottom portion ofthe cartridge 150 may provide for communication with the vaporizer body110 via the first antenna 143 at the proximal end of the vaporizer body110 when the cartridge 150 is engaged with the vaporizer body 110.However, the tag 164 may be positioned at other portions of thecartridge 150.

As shown in the bottom perspective views of the cartridge 150 in FIGS.37B and 37C, the cartridge body 156 may have a profile or shape thatvaries from that of the cartridge body 156 shown in, for example, FIG.37A. For example, the outer and inner perimeters of the cartridge body156 of the cartridge 150 shown in FIGS. 37B and 37C may include a morerounded shape or cross section at side portions (e.g., the shorter,opposing side portions) of the cartridge body 156 compared to that ofthe cartridge body 156 shown in FIG. 37A. Some portions of the cartridgebody 156 may be opaque while other portions are clear. Moreover, thepower pin receptacles 160 a,b and the air flow inlets 162 a,b formedthrough the lower support structure 174 may be spaced apart with respectto one another with distances that vary from that of the cartridge body156 shown in FIG. 37A.

As shown in FIG. 37C, the tag 164 consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter may be sized and shaped to accommodate the shapeof the bottom plate of the lower support structure 174, which may besized and shaped to accommodate the shape of the distal end region 156Cof the cartridge body 156. The tag 164 may include the single aperture1091 extending through its thickness such that the single aperture 1091surrounds the power pin receptacles 160 a,b and the air flow inlets 162a,b of the lower support structure 174. The single aperture 1091 may dipor extend slightly between the power pin receptacles 160 a,b to providemore usable area of the tag 164 (e.g., providing more room foradditional antennae coils). In some implementations, two apertures (onefor each set of receptacle and air flow inlet) may be provided in thetag 164, similar to the configuration shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B.

As shown in FIGS. 37C and 37D, the bottom plate of the lower supportstructure 174 may include a recessed region 174 a sized and shaped toaccommodate the tag 164. The tag 164 and the recessed region 174 a maybe the same size and shape, or substantially the same size and shape, asone another. In some implementations, the shapes of the tag 164 and therecessed region 174 a mirror or substantially mirror one another. Insome implementations, the size of the tag 164 is slightly smaller thanthat of the recessed region 174 a to provide for placement of the tag164 on the recessed region 174 a. The recessed region 174 a may includean indentation or pocket 174 b to accommodate the microcontroller unit(MCU) 190 and a tuning capacitor 3802 of the tag 164 (see FIGS. 38B and38C). The bottom plate of the lower support structure 174 may include araised region 174 c surrounded by the recessed region 174 a and throughwhich the power pin receptacles 160 a,b and the air flow inlets 162 a,bare formed.

Consistent with implementations of the current subject matter, the sizeand shape of the tag 164 may vary to accommodate variations of the sizeand shape of the cartridge body 156. For example, the cartridge body 156may have a circular, oval, square, rectangular, or other polygonal crosssection, and the tag 164 may be sized and shaped to attach to a distalend of the cartridge body 156. The tag 164 may be of various shapes andsizes and is not limited to a shape that mirrors that of the bottomplate fitted within the cartridge body 156. For example, in someimplementations, the tag 164 may be of a variety of polygonal shapes toaccommodate the antenna 192.

FIG. 38A illustrates features of the tag 164, consistent with someimplementations of the current subject matter. As described elsewhereherein and with respect to FIG. 2 , the tag 164 may include amicrocontroller unit (MCU) 190 and an antenna 192. Shown in FIG. 38A arethe MCU 190 and the antenna 192. Also included is the tuning capacitor3802 that is configured to tune the wireless signal from the antenna192. Pockets sized and shaped to accommodate the microcontroller unit(MCU) 190 and the tuning capacitor 3802 may be formed on the bottomplate of the lower support structure 174. For example, the pocket 174 bshown in FIG. 37C may accommodate the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 andthe tuning capacitor 3802 when the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 andthe tuning capacitor 3802 are positioned side-by-side as in FIG. 38B. Inimplementations in which the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 and thetuning capacitor 3802 are not side-by-side but are instead spaced apartat different regions of the tag 164, as in FIG. 38A, separateindentations or pockets on the bottom plate of the lower supportstructure 174 may be provided to accommodate the microcontroller unit(MCU) 190 and the tuning capacitor 3802.

In some implementations, the antenna 192 may be traced or etched ontothe tag 164 on the usable area of the tag 164 between an outer perimeter164 a and an inner perimeter 164 b of the tag 164. The outer perimeter164 a may be of the same or similar size as that of the bottom plate ofthe cartridge body 156. The inner perimeter 164 b may define the singleaperture 1091. In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 38A, the antenna192 may have a racetrack-like configuration in which the antenna 192 isetched on the tag 164 in a plurality of concentric traces. Theconcentric traces may be shaped to mirror the shape of the outerperimeter of the tag 164 or the inner perimeter of the tag 164.Variations of the concentric traces may be incorporated, such asconcentric traces with right angles as opposed to the curvedimplementation shown in FIG. 38A. The antenna 192 may have a variety ofother alternative configurations to enable communication with thevaporizer body 110 or other devices (e.g., the user device 305, theremote server 307, etc.). The other configurations of the antenna 192may include, for example, helical, parabolic, spiral, zig zag, linear,or circular configurations. As the tag 164 may be of a variety of shapesand sizes, the traces of the antenna 192 may be configured to match, insize or shape, one or more usable areas of the tag 164.

FIGS. 38B and 38C illustrate features of the tag 164 consistent withadditional implementations of the current subject matter. FIG. 38B is abottom perspective view of the tag 164. On a bottom surface of the tag164, the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 and the tuning capacitor 3802are provided on an area of the tag 164 that corresponds to, for example,the pocket 174 b formed on the bottom plate of the lower supportstructure 174; although the pocket 174 b is not required to accommodatesuch an arrangement of the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 and the tuningcapacitor 3802. The tag 164 may be a printed circuit board with anantenna (i.e., the antenna 192) with the outer perimeter 164 a and theinner perimeter, where the inner perimeter 164 b defines the singleaperture 1091.

FIG. 38C is an exploded view from a bottom perspective of the tag 164 ofFIG. 38B. Shown are the tag 164 (that includes, in some implementations,a printed circuit board with an antenna), the microcontroller unit (MCU)190, the tuning capacitor 3802, and the base 184 that, as described withrespect to FIGS. 23A and 23B, may be an adhesive for adhering the tag164 to the bottom plate of the lower support structure 174. The base 184may be sized and shaped to align with at least a portion of the tag 164.In some implementations, the base 184 aligns with at least a portion ofthe tag 164 and is of the same general shape of the tag 164 but isslightly smaller to allow for proper placement of the tag 164 on thebase 184. In some implementations, the base 184 is of the same size andshape of the tag 164. In some implementations, the base 184 includes agap or a cut-out region 184 a to accommodate the microcontroller unit(MCU) 190 and the tuning capacitor 3802 on the tag 164. The base 184 maybe of various other sizes and shapes and may include multiple pieces,such as two or more strips.

As shown in FIGS. 38B and 38C, the arrangement of the microcontrollerunit (MCU) 190 and the tuning capacitor 3802 is such that themicrocontroller unit (MCU) 190 and the tuning capacitor 3802 areadjacent or near one another. However, other arrangements, such as thatprovided in FIG. 38A where the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 and thetuning capacitor 3802 are spaced apart from one another, are possibleconsistent with implementations of the current subject matter. Thearrangement of the microcontroller unit (MCU) 190 and the tuningcapacitor 3802 may be based on various factors, such as tuning,manufacturing considerations, and placement/fitting on the cartridge150.

The tag 164 may be encased in plastic during injection molding of themating plastics, or an ultrasonic welding process may be implemented inwhich the protective layer is welded to mating plastics. The tag 164 maybe manufactured like a flexible printed circuit (FPC). In someimplementations, the tag 164 may be formed like a rigid printed circuitboard. Alternatively, an air coil may be used as a coiled wire for thetag 164, rather than being printed like a FPC. The air coil isconductive with an increased range of performance compared to the FPCmethod. As another alternative, the tag 164 may be printed or directlyetched onto a base, such as for example the PSA base 184, using a laserdirect structuring (LDS) method or the like.

In some implementations, the tag 164 may include one or more substratelayers on which the antenna traces, made of copper or a similarmaterial, are etched or formed. In one implementation, the tag 164includes four traces on one substrate layer. In another implementation,the tag 164 includes two traces on a first substrate layer and 6 traceson a second substrate layer. Various other implementations consistentwith the current subject matter are possible. For example, the tag 164may include any number of traces on any number of layers to achievedesired properties with respect to size, frequency, tuning, range (i.e.,range with one or more antennas such as the first antenna 143), andmanufacturability.

In one implementation, the antenna traces have a width of about 75microns and a thickness of 18 microns, and there may be a gap of about75 microns between each antenna trace. The antenna traces may have awidth of, for example, about 20 microns, 25 microns, 30 microns, 35microns, 40 microns, 45 microns, 50 microns, 55 microns, 60 microns, 65microns, 70 microns, 75 microns, 80 microns, 85 microns, 90 microns, or95 microns. The antenna traces may have a thickness of, for example,about 8 microns, 10 microns, 12 microns, 14 microns, 16 microns, 18microns, 20 microns, 22 microns, 24 microns, 26 microns, 28 microns, or30 microns. The gap between the antenna traces may be, for example,about 20 microns, 25 microns, 30 microns, 35 microns, 40 microns, 45microns, 50 microns, 55 microns, 60 microns, 65 microns, 70 microns, 75microns, 80 microns, 85 microns, 90 microns, or 95 microns. Thethickness of the antenna traces on a single substrate may differ fromone another or may be the same as one another. The gap between theantenna traces may be the same on a single substrate or may differ suchthat one gap is larger than another gap.

FIG. 24 is a series of diagrams illustrating assembly of a cartridge 150consistent with implementations of the current subject matter. Theheater 166 (coil 167/wick 168) may be inserted to the central cannula172. The internal sealing gasket 173 may be attached to a lower surfaceof the bottom plate 1072 portion of the central cannula 172. The pair ofsurface features 197 a,b on the internal sealing gasket 173 may projectthrough the bottom plate 1072, for example, through slots of the centralaperture 1073 of the bottom plate 1072 on either side of the centralcannula 172 to engage with opposing ends 1065 a,b of the wick 168. Thelower support structure 174 may be connected to the distal end of thecentral cannula 172 such that the internal sealing gasket 173 mates withthe lower support structure 174. The sealing ring 171 may be added overthe proximal tap 1018 at a top end of the central cannula 172. The pairof absorbent pads 175 a,b may be inserted on opposing open sides of thelower support structure 174 between the upper and lower regions 1077,1078. The absorbent pads 175 a,b may be sized and shaped such that theysecurely fit into and are held within the lower support structure 174.The components of the internal sub-assembly may be snapped togetherduring the afore-mentioned sub-assembly process. The internalsub-assembly may then be inserted into the cartridge body 156 with themouthpiece seal 177 positioned over a proximal end region of the body156. The tag 164 may be adhered to the bottom plate of the lower supportstructure 174. The absorbent top pad 170 is placed at a proximal end ofthe cartridge body 156, and the mouthpiece 152 is then secured over theproximal end of the cartridge body 156.

Once assembled, the cartridge 150 may be difficult for a user to takeapart. A feature may be incorporated on a region of the cartridge 150 todiscourage tampering and disassembly and for internally securingcomponents. The configuration of the feature may vary. In animplementation, the cartridge 150 may include an internal snap feature180 on one or more outer edges of the lower support structure 174 (atthe distal end of the cartridge 150) (see FIG. 17 ). The feature 180 maybe an angled annular projection configured to mate with one or morecomplementary recesses 183 formed on an internal side of the cartridgebody 156 (see FIGS. 14 and 17 ). The feature 180 may have aproximal-facing ramped surface and a distal-facing flat surface. Thelower support structure 174 may be inserted within the distal end region156C of the cartridge body 156 from the distal end region. The rampedsurface slides along the inner surface of the cartridge body 156. Uponproper seating within the distal end region 156C, the ramped surface ofthe feature 180 inserts within the recess 183 of the internal surface ofthe cartridge body 156. The distal-facing flat surface of the featureabuts against a corresponding proximal-facing flat surface preventingthe lower support structure 174 from sliding in the opposite directionback out from the lower end of the cartridge body 156. Such an internalconfiguration makes it difficult for a user to take apart the cartridge150.

With reference to FIG. 25 , a process flow chart 2400 illustratesfeatures of a method, which may optionally include some or all of thefollowing. At 2410, the wireless transceiver (e.g., the tag 164) of thecartridge 150 receives data characterizing the cartridge 150. Forexample, the tag 164 may be an NFC tag that includes manufacturing datarelating to the cartridge 150, filler data relating to the vaporizablematerial, and/or usage data relating to use of the cartridge 150. At2420, the wireless transceiver transmits to the vaporizer body 110 thedata characterizing the cartridge 150. For example, the tag 164 maytransmit to the vaporizer body 110 data relating to the type ofvaporizable material contained within the cartridge 150 or configurationparameters related to temperature and/or dose. At 2430, the vaporizerbody 110 configures, for example in response to user activation of thevaporizer body 110, the vaporizer body 110 to operate consistent withthe data characterizing the cartridge 150. For example, certainoperational or configuration parameters may be best suited for aparticular vaporizable material, and the vaporizer body 110 mayaccordingly control, for example, the temperature or dose based on theparticular vaporizable material. In some implementations, theoperational or configuration parameters include a value for atemperature and/or parameters for controlling a dose, such as time andamount of energy to provide to the heater 166.

In some implementations, an antenna or data tag may also provide powerfunctionality to a cartridge to, for example, heat the vaporizablematerial contained within a reservoir of the cartridge. Such animplementation provides for wireless heating and communication between avaporizer body and a cartridge, eliminating the need for power pins andpower pin receptacles. By eliminating power pins and power pinreceptacles, larger antennae may be incorporated in the vaporizer deviceand/or cartridge without increasing the overall size of eithercomponent.

With reference to FIG. 28 , a block diagram illustrating aspects relatedto a dual-purpose antenna for power transfer and communication isprovided. A vaporizer body 2510 includes a device antenna 2512 andcontrol logic 2514. A heater pulse width modulation (PWM) module 2516and a communication PWM module 2518 are coupled to the control logic2514. The control logic is configured to ensure that signals from theheater PWM module 2516 and the communication PWM module 2518 are not onat the same time.

The cartridge 2550 includes a cartridge antenna 2552 and control logic2554. A heating element 2556, memory 2558 (e.g., non-volatile memorysuch as, for example but not limited to, EEPROM), and a communicationtransceiver 2560 are coupled to the control logic 2554. Thecommunication transceiver 2560 may be an analog front-end (AFE) modulebut is not limited to this protocol.

When the heater PWM module 2516 is switched at low frequencies, acurrent on the cartridge antenna 2552 is induced via the device antenna2512, which serves to heat the heating element 2556. The communicationPWM module 2518 operates at higher frequencies to achieve a desiredbandwidth. When the higher frequency communication PWM module 2518 isused, a control signal is sent to and read by the control logic 2554 ofcartridge 2550. The control signal tells the control logic 2554 to turnon the communication transceiver 2560. The cartridge 2550 then harvestsenergy produced from the wireless field at the cartridge antenna 2552 topower the memory 2558. This communication transceiver 2560 translatesthe wireless signal from the vaporizer body 2510 into a protocol withwhich the memory 2558 may communicate.

Other aspects of the vaporizer body 2510 may be similar or equivalent tothose of the vaporizer body 110 described herein, and similarly otheraspects of the cartridge 2550 may be similar or equivalent to those ofthe cartridge 150 described herein.

In operation, after the vaporizer device is fully charged, a user mayactivate the vaporizer device by drawing (e.g., inhaling) through themouthpiece. The device may detect a draw (e.g., using a pressure sensor,flow sensors, and/or the like, including a sensor configured to detect achange in temperature or power applied to a heater element) and mayincrease the power to a predetermined temperature preset. The power maybe regulated by the controller by detecting the change in resistance ofthe heating coil and using the temperature coefficient of resistivity todetermine the temperature.

The heater may include a small heating element configured to heat and/orvaporize at least a portion of the vaporizable material and a wickingmaterial that may draw a liquid vaporizable material into the atomizer(e.g., heater). The resistance wire may be a coil. When the resistancewire is activated, the resistance wire (or coil) may have a temperatureincrease as a result of the current flowing through the resistive wireto generate heat. The heat may be transferred to at least a portion ofthe vaporizable material through conductive, convective, and/orradiative heat transfer such that at least a portion of the vaporizablematerial vaporizes.

Air may be drawn into the vaporizer device to carry the vaporizedaerosol away from the heating element, where it then cools and condensesto form liquid particles suspended in air, which may then be drawn outof the mouthpiece by the user.

In accordance with some implementations of the current subject matter, avaporizer device may be controlled so that the temperature used tovaporize the vaporizable material is maintained within a preset range.In general, the controller may control the temperature of the resistiveheater (e.g., resistive coil, etc.) based on a change in resistance dueto temperature (e.g., TCR). For example, a heater may be any appropriateresistive heater, such as, for example, a resistive coil. The heater istypically coupled to the heater controller via two or more connectors(electrically conductive wires or lines) so that the heater controllerapplies power (e.g., from the power source) to the heater. The heatercontroller may include regulatory control logic to regulate thetemperature of the heater by adjusting the applied power. The heatercontroller may include a dedicated or general-purpose processor,circuitry, or the like and is generally connected to the power sourceand may receive input from the power source to regulate the appliedpower to the heater.

For example, apparatuses consistent with implementations describedherein may include logic for determining the temperature of the heaterbased on the TCR of the heating element (resistive coil), based onsensed resistance of the coil. The resistance of the heater (e.g., aresistive heater) may be measured (Rheater) and the controller may usethe known properties of the heater (e.g., the temperature coefficient ofresistance) for the heater to determine the temperature of the heater.For example, the resistance of the heater may be detected by a detectioncircuit connected at the electrical contacts that connect to thecartridge, and this resistance compared to a target resistance, which istypically the resistance of the resistive heater at the targettemperature. In some cases this resistance may be estimated from theresistance of the resistive hearing element at ambient temperature(baseline).

In some example embodiments, the controller 128 may be configured tocontrol a temperature of the heater 166 including, for example, byadjusting and/or maintaining the temperature of the heating coil 167.The temperature of the heating coil 167 may be adjusted and/ormaintained by at least controlling a discharge of the battery 124 to theheating coil 167. For instance, the controller 128 may start thedischarge of the battery 124 to the heating coil 167 in order to raisethe temperature of the heating coil 167. Alternatively or additionally,the controller 128 may stop the discharge of the battery 124 to theheating coil 167 in order maintain and/or decrease the temperature ofthe heating coil 167.

According to some example embodiments, the controller 128 may apply aproportional-integral-derivative (PID) control technique when adjustingthe temperature of the heating coil 167. For example, the controller 128may adjust the temperature of the heating coil 167, including bystarting or stopping the discharge of the battery 124 to the heatingcoil 167, based on an error in the current temperature of the heatingcoil 167 relative to a target temperature. It should be appreciated thatthe temperature of the heating coil 167 may correspond to a resistancethrough the heating coil 167. That is, the temperature of the heatingcoil 167 may be correlated to the resistance through the heating coil167 by a thermal coefficient of resistance associated with the heatingcoil 167. As such, the current resistance through the heating coil 167may correspond to the current temperature of the heating coil while thetarget resistance through the heating coil 167 may correspond to thetarget temperature of the heating coil 167. Moreover, the controller 128may start or stop the discharge of the battery 124 to the heating coil167 based on an error in the current resistance through the heating coil167 relative to a target resistance.

To further illustrate, FIG. 30A depicts a block diagram illustrating anexample of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control consistentwith implementations of the current subject matter. As shown in FIG.30A, the controller 128 may control the discharge of the battery 124 tothe heating coil 167 in the heater 166 of the cartridge 150. Meanwhile,the flow of current from the battery 124 through the heating coil 167may generate heat, for example, through resistive heating. The heatgenerated by the heating coil 167 may be transferred to the wick 168,which may be in thermal contact with the heating coil 167. For instance,the heat that is generated by the heating coil 167 may be transferred tothe wick 168 through conductive heat transfer, convective heat transfer,radiative heat transfer, and/or the like. The heat from the heating coil167 may vaporize at least some of the vaporizable material held by thewick 168.

Referring again to FIG. 30A, the heater control circuitry 130 may beconfigured to determine a current resistance of the heating coil 167. Asnoted, the current resistance of the heating coil 167 may correspond toa current temperature of the heating coil 167. Accordingly, thecontroller 128, when applying a proportional-integral-derivative controltechnique, may adjust and/or maintain the temperature of the heatingcoil 167 based at least on an error between the current resistance ofthe heating coil 167 and a target resistance corresponding to at targettemperature for the heating coil 167. As shown in FIG. 30A, thecontroller 128 may adjust, based at least on the error between thecurrent resistance through the heating coil 167 and the targetresistance, the discharge of the battery 124 to the heating coil 167.For example, the controller 128 may start the discharge of the battery124 to the heating coil 167 if the current resistance of the heatingcoil 167 is below the target resistance. Alternatively or additionally,the controller 128 may stop the discharge of the battery 124 to theheating coil 167 if the current resistance of the heating coil 167 isequal to and/or above the target resistance.

FIG. 30B depicts a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theheater control circuitry 130 consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter. As noted, the heater control circuitry 130 maybe configured to determine a resistance through the heating coil 167,which may correspond to a temperature of the heating coil 167. In orderto determine the resistance through the heating coil 167, the heatercontrol circuitry 130 may include a plurality of resistors having knownresistances including, for example, a first resistor 2630 a, a secondresistor 2630 b, and a third resistor 2630 c. As shown in FIG. 30B, theheating coil 167, the first resistor 2630 a, the second resistor 2630 b,and the third resistor 2630 c may form a Wheatstone bridge 2600. Forinstance, the first resistor 2630 a may be coupled in series with thesecond resistor 2630 b to form a first voltage divider A in theWheatstone bridge 2600. Meanwhile, the third resistor 2630 c may becoupled in series with the heating coil 167 to form a second voltagedivider B in the Wheatstone bridge 2600.

The Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be a scalable Wheatstone bridge havingone or more variable resistors. For instance, FIG. 30B shows the secondresistor 2630 b as a variable resistor having multiple knownresistances. The resistance of the second resistor 2630 b may be variedby coupling the second resistor 2630 b with one or more other resistorshaving known resistances. In some example embodiments, varying theresistance of the second resistor 2630 b may enable the heater controlcircuitry 130 to operate at different levels of resistances across theheating coil 167 of the cartridge 150. For example, the resistance ofthe second resistor 2630 b may be varied in order to vary the voltagedifferential that may be measured across the Wheatstone bridge 2600.Varying the value of the voltage differential measured across theWheatstone bridge 2600 may further vary the range of the temperatureincrement at the heating coil 167 including, for example, the quantityof steps between a baseline temperature and a target temperature for theheating coil 167.

The Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be coupled to a differential amplifier2640 configured to determine a voltage differential across theWheatstone bridge 2600, for example, between the first voltage divider Aand the second voltage divider B. As shown in FIG. 30B, one input intothe differential amplifier 2640 may be coupled to a node between thefirst resistor 2630 a and the second resistor 2630 b while another inputinto the differential amplifier 2640 may be coupled to a node betweenthe third resistor 2630 c and the heating coil 167. Moreover, thedifferential amplifier 2640 may further provide, to the controller 128,a first output signal 2680 a corresponding to the voltage differentialacross the Wheatstone bridge 2600. For instance, the first output signal2680 a may be an analog signal between ground (e.g., 0 volts) and apositive voltage (e.g., 3 volts) of the power supply 2610. The firstoutput signal 2680 a may be output to an analog-to-digital (ADC) at thecontroller 128 such that the controller 128 may perform an analog todigital conversion to determine the resistance through the heating coil167.

The resistance of the heating coil 167 may correspond to the voltagedifferential across the Wheatstone bridge 2600. Accordingly, thecontroller 128 may determine, based on the first output signal 2680 a,the resistance through the heating coil 167. Equations (1)-(6) belowillustrate the relationship that may exist between the voltagedifferential ΔV across the Wheatstone bridge 2600 and the temperature Tof the heating coil 167. It should be appreciated that Equations (1)-(6)assume that the resistance R₁ through the first resistor 2630 a may beequal to the resistance R₂ through the second resistor 2630 b.

$\begin{matrix}{{\Delta\; V} = {E\left( {\frac{R_{3}}{R_{3} + R_{1}} - \frac{R_{coil}}{R_{2} + R_{coil}}} \right)}} & (1) \\{{\Delta\; V} = {E\left( {\frac{R_{3}}{R_{2} + R_{3}} - \frac{R_{coil}}{R_{2} + R_{coil}}} \right)}} & (2) \\{R_{coil} = {R_{3}\left( \frac{{ER}_{3} - {\Delta\;{V\left( {R_{2} + R_{3}} \right)}}}{{ER}_{2} + {\Delta\;{V\left( {R_{2} + R_{3}} \right)}}} \right)}} & (3) \\{R_{coil} = {R_{0}{\exp\left( {\beta\left\lbrack {\frac{1}{T} - \frac{1}{T_{0}}} \right\rbrack} \right)}}} & (4) \\{\frac{1}{T} = {\frac{1}{T_{0}} + {\frac{1}{\beta}{\ln\left( \frac{R_{coil}}{R_{0}} \right)}}}} & (5) \\{\frac{1}{T} = {\frac{1}{T_{0}} + {\frac{1}{\beta}{\ln\left\lbrack {\frac{R_{2}}{R_{0}}\left( \frac{{ER}_{3} - {\Delta\;{V\left( {R_{2} + R_{3}} \right)}}}{{ER}_{2} + {\Delta\;{V\left( {R_{2} + R_{3}} \right)}}} \right)} \right\rbrack}}}} & (6)\end{matrix}$wherein T₀ may denote a reference temperature (e.g., 298° K and/or thelike), R₀ may denote a resistance at the reference temperature T₀, β maydenote the thermal coefficient of resistance of the heating coil 167 ofthe heater 166, and R₃ may denote the resistance of the third resistor2630 c.

The Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be split into two resistor dividers, eachof which being configured to scale down an input voltage by a fixedratio determined based on the resistances R₁ and R₂ in Equation (7)below.

$\begin{matrix}{V_{out} = {V_{in}\left( \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}} \right)}} & (7)\end{matrix}$

The differential amplifier 2640 may amplify the difference between thevoltage V₁ of the output from the resistor divider coupled with theheating coil 167 and the voltage V₂ of the resistor divider serving as areference. This voltage differential V_(adc) may be sent to theanalog-to-digital converter (ADC) at the controller 128, for example, asthe first output signal 2680 a. Because the controller 128 may have ananalog-to-digital conversion range (e.g., from 0 to 3 volts), the valuesV_(adc) at 0 volt and at 3 volts may be used to determine the minimumand maximum resistances each scale is capable of detecting. Forinstance, as shown in FIG. 30B, the first resistor 2630 a may have afixed resistance (e.g., 44.2 Kohms) while the second resistor 2630 b maybe coupled with one or more scaling resistors including, for example,the fourth resistor 2630 d, the fifth resistor 2630 e, and/or the sixthresistor 2630 f. These scaling resistors may be added and/or removed toalter the output of the reference resistor divider. The result is avariety of usable ranges. Since V₂ may be fixed for each scale, theminimum and maximum voltage at the analog-to-digital converter may beused to calculate, in accordance with Equation (8) below, the resistanceranges at the heating coil 167 that may be measured for each scale.

$\begin{matrix}{V_{adc} = {\frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}\left( {V_{2} - V_{1}} \right)}} & (8)\end{matrix}$

As noted, each scale of the Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be capable ofmeasuring a range of resistances across the heating coil 167. The scaleof the Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be adjusted by at least switching inand/or switching out the one or more scaling resistors coupled with thesecond resistor 2630 b. Furthermore, the resistance range associatedwith each scale may be determined based on the resistances of the one ormore scaling resistors including, for example, the fourth resistor 2630d, the fifth resistor 2630 e, and/or the sixth resistor 2630 f Forinstance, the resistances of the one or more scaling resistors may beselected in order to achieve smaller and/or more precise resistanceranges.

For example, a scale of zero may be achieved when none of the scalingresistors coupled with the second resistor 2630 b are switched in. Atscale zero, the resistance across the second resistor 2630 b may be, forexample, 806 ohms while the resistance across the first resistor 2630 amay remain fixed at 44.2 Kohms. Thus, at scale zero, the voltage V₂ ofthe resistor divider may be constant at 0.0537 volts. The maximumresistance that can be measured at scale zero may be determined based onthe required V₁ of the output from the resistor divider coupled with theheating coil 167 when V_(adc) is at 3 volts. Based on Equation (8), therequired V₁ of the output from the resistor divider coupled with theheating coil 167 when V_(adc) is at 3 volts may be determined to be0.042 volts. Accordingly, the maximum resistance R₂ of the heating coil167 that can be measured at scale zero may be determined to be 1.4199ohms by at least setting V_(out) in Equation (7) to equal 0.042 voltsand V_(in) in Equation (7) to equal 3 volts. Meanwhile, the minimumresistance that can be measured at scale zero may be determined based onthe required V₁ of the output from the resistor divider coupled with theheating coil 167 when V_(adc) is at 0 volts.

Referring again to FIG. 30B, the heater control circuitry 130 may becoupled with the battery 124 and a power supply 2610. In some exampleembodiments, the battery 124 may power the heating coil 167. As noted,the controller 128 may control the discharge of the battery 124 to theheating coil 167 in order to adjust and/or maintain the temperature ofthe heating coil 167. Meanwhile, the heater control circuitry 130 may bepowered by the power supply 2610 instead of the battery 124. Forexample, the power supply 2610 may include a regulated voltage rail thatis generated by a voltage regulator 2690, which may be a linear voltageregulator, a switching regulator, and/or the like. The voltage regulator2690 may regulate the output voltage of the battery 124 in order toprovide, to the heater control circuitry 130, the regulated voltage railhaving a steady voltage. In the absence of the voltage regulator 2690,the output voltage from the battery 124 may fluctuate. As such, poweringthe heater control circuitry 130 with directly by the battery 124 maydisrupt the measurement of the voltage differential across theWheatstone bridge 2600. Accordingly, it should be appreciated thatinstead of being directly powered by the battery 124, the heater controlcircuitry 130 may be powered by the power supply 2610.

FIG. 30B shows the battery 124 as being coupled to the heater controlcircuitry 130 at a node between the heating coil 167 and the thirdresistor 2630 c. A first switch 2620 a may be disposed between thebattery 124 and the node at which the battery 124 is coupled to theheater control circuitry 130. The first switch 2620 a may be atransistor including, for example, an n-channel field effect transistor(NFET), a p-channel field effect transistor (PFET), and/or the like. Asshown in FIG. 30B, the state of the first switch 2620 a may becontrolled by a first input signal 2670 a from the controller 128. Forexample, the controller 128 may change the state of the first switch2620 a in order to start or stop the battery 124 from being dischargedto the heating coil 167.

FIG. 30B further shows a sixth switch 2620 f as being disposed betweenthe battery 124 and the node at which the battery is coupled to theheater control circuitry 130. The sixth switch 2620 f may be atransistor including, for example, an n-channel field effect transistor(NFET), a p-channel field effect transistor (PFET), and/or the like.Moreover, the state of the sixth switch 2620 f may also be controlled bythe first input signal 2670 a from the controller 128. Accordingly, thecontroller 128 may further start or stop the battery 124 from beingdischarged to the heating coil 167 by at least changing the state of thesixth switch 2620 f.

As noted, the controller 128 may maintain and/or adjust the temperatureof the heating coil 167 by at least starting or stopping the dischargeof the battery 124 to the heating coil 167. In some example embodiments,the first input signal 2670 a may be a pulse width modulation (PWM)signal. Accordingly, the controller 128 may adjust a duty cycle of firstinput signal 2670 a in order to change the state of the first switch2620 a. For instance, while the first switch 2620 a is held on by thefirst input signal 2670 a from the controller 128, current may flow fromthe battery 124 to the heating coil 167 and cause an increase in thetemperature of the heating coil 167.

As noted, the heater control circuitry 130 may be powered by the powersupply 2610 instead of the battery 124. For example, the power supply2610 may be coupled to the heater control circuitry 130 at a nodebetween the first resistor 2630 a and the third resistor 2630 c. In someexample embodiments, the heater control circuitry 130 may include one ormore switches configured to control the flow of current from the powersupply 2610 to the heater control circuitry 130. For instance, theheater control circuitry 130 may include a second switch 2620 b and/or athird switch 2620 c. The second switch 2620 b and/or the third switch2620 c may each be a transistor including, for example, a n-channelfield effect transistor (NFET), a p-channel field effect transistors(PFET), and/or the like.

The second switch 2620 b may be disposed between the power supply 2610and the node at which the power supply 2610 is coupled to the heatercontrol circuitry 130. The state of the second switch 2620 b, which maybe controlled by a second input signal 2670 b from the controller 128,may control the flow of current from the power supply 2610 to the heatercontrol circuitry 130. For example, when the second switch 2620 b isheld on by the second input signal 2670 b from the controller 128,current may flow from the power supply 2610 to the heater controlcircuitry 130, for example, to the first voltage divider A in theWheatstone bridge 2600.

Alternatively or additionally, the third switch 2620 c may be disposedbetween the third resistor 2630 c and the node at which the power supply2610 is coupled to the heater control circuitry 130. The state of thethird switch 2620 c may be controlled by a third input signal 2670 cfrom the controller 128. Moreover, the state of the third switch 2620 cmay further control the flow of current from the power supply 2610 tothe heater control circuitry 130. For instance, when the third switch2620 c is held on by the third input signal 2670 c from the controller128, current may flow from the power supply 2610 to the heater controlcircuitry 130, for example, to the second voltage divider B in theWheatstone bridge 2600.

In some example embodiments, the controller 128 may control the flow ofcurrent from the power supply 2610 to the heater control circuitry 130based on whether the vaporizer device 100 is use and/or is about to beput in use. For example, the controller 128 may start the flow ofcurrent from the power supply 2610 to the heater control circuitry 130when the controller 128 determines that the vaporizer device 100 is inuse and/or is about to be put in use. The controller 128 may determinethat the vaporizer device 100 is in use and/or is about to be put in usewhen the cartridge 150 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 114 inthe vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizer device 100. The controller 128may also determine that the vaporizer device 100 is in use when adifference between the pressure in the air flow path measured by thepressure sensor 137 and the ambient pressure measured by the ambientpressure sensor 138 indicates that air is being drawn by a user into thevaporizer device 100. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 128may anticipate the vaporizer device 100 being put in use based onoutputs from the accelerometer 139 indicating deliberate movementsincluding, for example, a tapping of the vaporizer device 100, a rollingof the vaporizer device 100, and/or the like. These deliberate movementsmay indicate a user's intent to put the vaporizer device 100 in use.

Referring again to FIG. 30B, the heater control circuitry 130 mayfurther include a first diode 2650 a. The first diode 2650 a may beforward biased towards the battery 124 in order to prevent current fromthe battery 124 from creating an overvoltage across portions of theheater control circuitry 130 including, for example, the first resistor2630 a, the second resistor 2630 b, and the third resistor 2630 cforming the Wheatstone bridge 2600. For example, as shown in FIG. 30B, acathode of the first diode 2650 a may be coupled to a drain of the firstswitch 2620 a and a gate of the sixth switch 2620 f. As noted, the firstswitch 2620 a and the sixth switch 2620 f are disposed between thebattery 124 and the heater control circuitry 130 to at least enable thecontroller 128 to control, via the first input signal 2670 a, thedischarge of the battery 124 to the heating coil 167. Meanwhile, theanode of the first diode 2650 a may be coupled to a line carrying thethird input signal 2670 c controlling the third switch 2620 c. While thefirst switch 2620 a is held on by the first input signal 2670 a from thecontroller 128, the first diode 2650 a may prevent current from thebattery 124 from entering portions of the heater control circuitry 130including, for example, the first resistor 2630 a, the second resistor2630 b, and the third resistor 2630 c forming the Wheatstone bridge2600. Instead, while the first switch 2620 a is held on by the firstinput signal 2670 a, current from the battery 124 may be directed to theheating coil 167.

FIG. 30C depicts a schematic diagram illustrating an example of theheater control circuitry 130 consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter. The heater control circuitry 130 shown in FIG.30C may include additional circuit components not shown in FIG. 30B. Asnoted, in some example embodiments, the heater control circuitry 130 maybe configured to determine the resistance through the heating coil 167,which may correspond to the temperature of the heating coil 167. Forexample, in order to determine the resistance of the heating coil 167,the heater control circuitry 130 may include a plurality of resistorshaving known resistances including, for example, the first resistor 2630a, the second resistor 2630 b, and the third resistor 2630 c.

In some example embodiments, the first resistor 2630 a, the secondresistor 2630 b, the third resistor 2630 c, and the heating coil 167 mayform the Wheatstone bridge 2600 when the heating coil 167 is coupled tothe heater control circuitry 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 30C,when the cartridge 150 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 114 inthe vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizer device 100, one end of theheating coil 167 may be coupled to the positive terminal H+ of theheater control circuitry 130 while the other end of the heating coil 167may be coupled to the negative terminal H− of the heater controlcircuitry 130. Moreover, the first resistor 2630 a and the secondresistor 2630 b may form the first voltage divider A of the Wheatstonebridge 2600 while the third resistor 2630 c and the heating coil 167 mayform the second voltage divider B in the Wheatstone bridge 2600.

The Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be coupled to the differential amplifier2640. As noted, the differential amplifier 2640 may provide, to thecontroller 128, the first output signal 2680 a indicating a voltagedifferential across the Wheatstone bridge 2600 including, for example, avoltage differential between the first voltage divider A and the secondvoltage divider B of the Wheatstone bridge 2600. This voltagedifferential may correspond to the resistance through the heating coil167. Meanwhile, the resistance through the heating coil 167 may furthercorrespond to the current temperature of the heating coil 167.Accordingly, the controller 128 may adjust and/or maintain, based atleast on the first output signal 2680 a, the temperature of the heatingcoil 167. For instance, the controller 128 may apply aproportional-integral-derivative (PID) control technique and adjust thetemperature of the heater 166 based on an error in the currenttemperature of the heating coil 167 relative to a target temperature.The controller 128 may adjust the temperature of the heater 166 by atleast adjusting the first input signal 2670 a to start or stop thedischarge of the battery 124 to the heating coil 167.

In some example embodiments, the heating coil 167 may be formed from twoor more different materials (e.g., metals and/or the like). Contactbetween two different conductive materials may trigger a Seebeck effectand induce an additional voltage across the heating coil 167. Thisadditional voltage may increase as the temperature of the heater 166increases. As noted, the temperature of the heater 166 may be determinedbased on the voltage differential across the Wheatstone bridge. Thus,the presence of the additional voltage due to Seebeck effect mayintroduce an error in the resistance measured for the heating coil 167.Accordingly, in some example embodiments, the controller 128 may performan open-circuit voltage measurement and use the open-circuit voltagemeasurement to adjust the voltage differential output by thedifferential amplifier 2640.

For example, the controller 128 may perform the open-circuit voltagemeasurement by at least adjusting a fourth input signal 2670 dcontrolling a state of a fourth switch 2620 d. The fourth switch 2620 dmay be a transistor including, for example, an re-channel field effecttransistor (NFET), a p-channel field effect transistor (PFET), and/orthe like. Moreover, the state of the fourth switch 2620 d may controlthe connection between the first voltage divider A and the secondvoltage divider B in the Wheatstone bridge 2600. As noted, the firstvoltage divider A may be formed by the first resistor 2630 a and thesecond resistor 2630 b while the second voltage divider B may be formedby the heating coil 167 and the third resistor 2630 c. The controller128 may perform the open-circuit voltage measurement by at leastdisconnecting the first voltage divider A and the second voltage dividerB such that the first output signal 2680 a corresponds to the additionalvoltage that is induced across the heating coil 167 due to Seekbeckeffect.

In some example embodiments, the Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be ascalable Wheatstone bridge. As such, the Wheatstone bridge 2600 mayinclude at least one variable resistor having multiple knownresistances. For instance, the second resistor 2630 b may be a variableresistor whose resistance may be varied by being coupled with one ormore other resistors of known resistances including, for example, afourth resistor 2630 d, a fifth resistor 2630 e, a sixth resistor 2630f, and/or the like. The range of the voltage differential measuredacross the Wheatstone bridge 2600 may be adjusted by at least couplingthe fourth resistor 2630 d, the fifth resistor 2630 e, and/or the sixthresistor 2630 f to the first voltage divider A of the Wheatstone bridge2600. As used herein, the range of the voltage differential may refer toa quantity of steps between a maximum voltage differential and a minimumvoltage differential indicated by first output signal 2680 a. The rangeof the voltage differential may correspond to the range of thetemperature increment at the heating coil 167 including, for example,the quantity of steps between a baseline temperature and a targettemperature for the heating coil 167. For instance, the three additionalresistors shown in FIG. 30C may allow the heater control circuitry 130to determine the resistance of the heating coil 167 at eight differentlevels. It should be appreciated that the heater control circuitry 130may support resistance measurements at different ranges in order toaccommodate the various types of vaporizable material that vaporize atdifferent temperature ranges.

As noted, the heater control circuitry 130 may be coupled with thebattery 124 as well as the power supply 2610. However, instead of beingpowered directly by the battery 124, the heater control circuitry 130may be powered by the power supply 2610. The power supply 2610 mayinclude a voltage rail 2615 generated by the voltage regulator 2690. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 26C, the voltage rail 2615 may be a regulatedvoltage rail having a steady voltage of 3 volts and/or the like. In someexample embodiments, the power supply 2610 may power the heater controlcircuitry 130 instead of the battery 124. To prevent the battery 124from discharging to the voltage rail 2615 and causing an overvoltageacross the first resistor 2630 a, the second resistor 2630 b, and thethird resistor 2630 c in the Wheatstone bridge 2600, the heater controlcircuitry 130 may include the first diode 2650 a. While the first switch2620 a is held on by the first input signal 2670 a from the controller128, the first diode 2650 a may prevent current from the battery 124from entering the first resistor 2630 a, the second resistor 2630 b, andthe third resistor 2630 c in the Wheatstone bridge 2600. Instead, whilethe first switch 2620 a is held on by the first input signal 2670 a,current from the battery 124 may be directed to the heating coil 167.

Alternatively or additionally, the heater control circuitry 130 may alsoinclude the third switch 2620 c. As noted, the third switch 2620 c maycontrol the flow of current from the power supply 2610 to the heatercontrol circuitry 130 including, for example, the second voltage dividerB in the Wheatstone bridge 2600. Moreover, the third switch 2620 c mayalso prevent the battery 124 from discharging to the voltage rail 2615an over voltage on the voltage rail 2615 by at least preventing thebattery 124 from discharging to the voltage rail 2615 and causing anover voltage across portions of the Wheatstone bridge 2600 including,for example, the first resistor 2630 a, the second resistor 2630 b, andthe third resistor 2630 c in the Wheatstone bridge 2600.

In some example embodiments, the heater control circuitry 130 mayfurther include a fifth switch 2620 e. The fifth switch 2620 e may be atransistor including, for example, an n-channel field effect transistor(NFET), a p-channel field effect transistor (PFET), and/or the like. Asshown in FIG. 30C, the fifth switch 2620 e may be disposed at a junctionbetween the voltage rail 2615, the first voltage divider A of theWheatstone bridge 2600, and the differential amplifier 2640. The fifthswitch 2620 e may be configured to prevent back powering, which mayoccur, for example, when current back fed from other components of theheater control circuitry 130 (e.g., the first diode 2650 a and/or thelike) continues to power the heater control circuitry 130 even when theheater control circuitry 130 is not being powered by the power supply2610.

For example, FIG. 30C shows the fifth switch 2620 e as being coupled toa node on the voltage rail 2615. Furthermore, the fifth switch 2620 emay be coupled to the second voltage divider B of the Wheatstone bridge2600, for example, at a node between the third resistor 2630 c and theheating coil 167. As shown in FIG. 30C, the fifth switch 2620 e may befurther coupled to a line coupling the second voltage divider B to aninput into the differential amplifier 2640. As such, the state of thefifth switch 2620 e may determine whether current flow from the secondvoltage divider B into the differential amplifier 2640. For example, thefifth switch 2620 e may be held on when the second switch 2620 b is heldon and current is flowing from the power supply 2610 into the heatercontrol circuitry 130. However, the fifth switch 2620 e may be held offwhen the second switch 2620 b is held off and current is not flowingfrom the power supply 2610 into the heater control circuitry 130.Holding off the fifth switch 2620 e may prevent current back fed fromother components of the heater control circuitry 130 (e.g., the firstdiode 2650 a and/or the like) from entering portions of the heatercontrol circuitry 130 including, for example, the differential amplifier2640.

Referring again to FIG. 30C, the controller 128 may be furtherconfigured to detect the presence or the absence of the cartridge 150,for example, in the cartridge receptacle 114 in the vaporizer body 110of the vaporizer device 100. In some example embodiments, the dischargeof the battery 124 to the heating coil 167 may depend on whether thecartridge 150 is present or absent from the cartridge receptacle 114. Assuch, the state of the first switch 2620 a, which may control thedischarge of the battery 124 to the heating coil 167, may be furtherdetermined based on the whether the cartridge 150 is present or absentfrom the cartridge receptacle 114. For example, the absence of thecartridge 150 may prevent the first switch 2620 a from being held off bythe first input signal 2670 a, thereby preventing the battery 124 fromdischarging to the heating coil 167.

In some example embodiments, the heater control circuitry 130 mayinclude an interrupt request (IRQ) line configured to detect thepresence or an absence of the cartridge 150. The presence or the absenceof the cartridge 150 may correspond to a presence or an absence of theheating coil 167 across the positive terminal H+ and the negativeterminal H− of the heater control circuitry 130. As shown in FIG. 30C,the interrupt request (IRQ) line may be implemented using a second diode2650 b that is coupled in series with a seventh resistor 2630 g. Whenthe cartridge 150 is inserted into the cartridge receptacle 114, theheating coil 167 may be disposed across the positive terminal H+ and thenegative terminal H− of the heater control circuitry 130. Accordingly, asecond output signal 2680 b to the controller 128 may enable thecontroller 128 to determine whether the cartridge 150 is present orabsent from the cartridge receptacle 114 in the vaporizer body 110 ofthe vaporizer device 100.

For example, when the cartridge 150 is inserted in the cartridgereceptacle 114, the presence of the heating coil 167 across the positiveterminal H+ and the negative terminal H− of the heater control circuitry130 forms a low resistance path to the ground that pulls the secondoutput signal 2680 b to the controller 128 to ground. By contrast, whenthe cartridge 150 is absent from the cartridge receptacle 114, theheating coil 167 may also be absent, thereby removing the low resistancepath to the ground. Instead, the second output signal 2680 b may bepulled high, for example, to the positive voltage (e.g., 3 volts) of thepower supply 2610. Accordingly, the controller 128 may determine, basedat least on the second output signal 2680 b, whether the cartridge 150is present in the cartridge receptacle 114 in the vaporizer body 110 ofthe vaporizer device 100.

Referring again to FIG. 30C, the heater control circuitry 130 mayinclude one or more test points. As shown in FIG. 30C, the heatercontrol circuitry 130 may include a first test point 2660 a coupled tothe first voltage divider A in the Wheatstone bridge 2600 and a secondtest point 2660 b coupled to the second voltage divider B in theWheatstone bridge 2600. The first test point 2660 a may be used tomeasure the voltage across the first voltage divider A while the secondtest point 2660 b may be used to measure the voltage across the secondvoltage divider B. In some example embodiments, the first test point2660 a and the second test point 2660 b may be used to calibrate theWheatstone bridge 2600, for example, including by determining correctionfactors for the known resistances of the first resistor 2630 a, thesecond resistor 2630 b, and/or the third resistor 2630 c.

Alternatively or additionally, the heater control circuitry 130 may alsoinclude a third test point 2660 c and a fourth test point 2660 d. Thefourth test point 2660 d may be coupled to a cathode of the second diode2650 d while the third test point 2660 c may be coupled to ground. Insome example embodiments, the third test point 2660 c and the fourthtest point 2660 d may be used to calibrate the interrupt request (IRQ)line formed by the second diode 2650 b and the seventh resistor 2630 g.For example, readings from the third test point 2660 c and the fourthtest point 2660 d may be used to determine correction factors for thesecond output signal 2680 b to the controller 128.

FIG. 30D depicts a schematic diagram illustrating another example of theheater control circuitry 130 consistent with implementations of thecurrent subject matter. The heater control circuitry 130 shown in FIG.30D may include additional circuit components not shown in FIG. 30Band/or FIG. 30C.

Referring to FIG. 30D, the heater control circuitry 130 may include asuppressor 2692 disposed between the power supply 2610 and the secondswitch 2620 b. The heater control circuitry 130 may further include areservoir capacitor 2694, which connects between the power supply 2610and ground. In some example embodiments, the suppressor 2692 may beconfigured to suppress high frequency noise present in the electricalsignal from the power supply 2610. For example, the suppressor 2692 mayexhibit a low resistance when subject to a low frequency electricalsignal from the power supply 2610 and/or a high resistance when subjectto a high frequency electrical signal from the power supply 2610.Moreover, the suppressor 2692 be coupled with the reservoir capacitor2694 to act as a low-pass filter that rejects any high frequency noisepresent in the electrical signal from the power supply 2610. Thesuppressor 2692 may be implemented using a resistor, a zeroohm-resistor, a ferrite bead, and/or the like. Nevertheless, it shouldbe appreciated that implementing the suppressor 2692 using aconventional resistor may consume more power (e.g., quiescent current)when no noise is present, for example, during normal operation.

In some example embodiments, the reservoir capacitor 2694 may beconfigured to accommodate in-rush current and the concomitant voltagedrop on the voltage rail 2615. The reservoir capacitor 2694 may remaincharged while the heater control circuitry 130 is powered off, forexample, via the second switch 2620 b disposed between the power supply2610 and the node at which the power supply 2610 is coupled to theheater control circuitry 130. Alternatively, when the heater controlcircuitry 130 is powered on via the second switch 2620 b, the reservoircapacitor 2694 may prevent a voltage drop on the voltage rail 2615 andminimize the time-delay associated with stabilizing the supply voltageby at least supplying the in-rush current to the heater controlcircuitry 130. Furthermore, as noted, the reservoir capacitor 2694 maycouple with the suppressor 2692 to serve as a low-pass filter.

Referring again to FIG. 30D, in some example embodiments, the heatercontrol circuitry 130 may further include a high-pass filter 2696coupled with the first input signal 2670 a from the controller 128. Inthe event of a glitch, for example, at the controller 128, the firstinput signal 2670 a may be driven high permanently and cause the battery124 to constantly discharge to the heating coil 167 of the heater 166.This constant discharge of the battery 124 to the heating coil 167 maypotentially damage and/or destroy the heating coil 167. Accordingly, theheater control circuitry 130 may include the high-pass filter 2696 inorder to prevent the battery 124 from constantly discharging to theheating coil 167. For instance, the high-pass filter 2696 may include athird diode 2650 c configured to provide a fast-discharge path for thenegative voltage on the high-pass filter 2696 when the input to thehigh-pass filter 2696 switches from a high voltage to a low voltage(e.g., 0 volt) at high duty cycles.

FIG. 31 depicts a flowchart illustrating a process 2700 for operatingthe vaporizer device 100 consistent with implementations of the currentsubject matter. In some example embodiments, the vaporizer device 100,for example, the controller 128, may perform the process 2700 in orderto transition between different modes of operation including, forexample, an active mode, a standby mode, and/or a deep standby mode. Thetransition between different modes of operation may change the samplingfrequency and/or resolution of the pressure sensor 137 and/or theambient pressure sensor 138. For example, the pressure sensor 137 and/orthe ambient pressure sensor 138 may sample at a higher frequency and/orresolution when the vaporizer device 100 is in an active mode than whenthe vaporizer device 100 is in a standby mode and/or a deep standbymode.

At 2702, the vaporizer device 100 may detect a motion event. As noted,the vaporizer device 100 may include the accelerometer 139 (and/or othermotion sensors, capacitive sensors, flow sensors, strain gauge(s), orthe like) capable of detecting movement of the vaporizer body 110including, for example, tapping, rolling, and/or any other deliberatemovements. Such movements may be indicative of user interaction with thevaporizer device 100 and may therefore be interpreted, for example, bythe controller 128, as one or more predefined user commands including,for example, a user command to gradually increase the temperature of theheater 166 before the user begin using the vaporizer device 100 and/orwhile the user is using the vaporizer device 100.

At 2704, the vaporizer device 100 may detect that the cartridge 150 ispresent in the cartridge receptacle 114 on the vaporizer body 110 of thevaporizer device 100. As noted, in some example embodiments, the heatercontrol circuitry 130 of the vaporizer device 100 may include the seconddiode 2650 b, which may be coupled in series with the seventh resistor2630 g to implement an interrupt request (IRQ) line. The second outputsignal 2680 b from the heater control circuitry 130 to the controller128 may indicate whether the cartridge 150 is or absent from thecartridge receptacle 114 in the vaporizer body 110 of the vaporizerdevice 100.

At 2706, the vaporizer device 100 may respond to the presence of thecartridge 150 in the cartridge receptacle 114 of the vaporizer body 110by at least transitioning to an active mode in which the pressure sensor137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 operate at a first samplingfrequency. In some example embodiments, the vaporizer device 100 maytransition to an active mode if the cartridge 150 is present in thecartridge receptacle 114 of the vaporizer body 110. As noted, when thevaporizer device 100 is in the active mode, the pressure sensor 137and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 may operate at a higher samplingfrequency than when the vaporizer device 100 is in the standby modeand/or the deep standby mode. For example, when the vaporizer device 100transitions to the active mode, the pressure sensor 137 and/or theambient pressure sensor 138 may operate at a sampling frequency of 50hertz.

At 2707, the vaporizer device 100 may determine whether a pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is greaterthan or equal to an ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressuresensor 138. In some example embodiments, the difference between thepressure in the air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137and the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 mayindicate whether air is being drawn into the vaporizer device 100through the air flow path 181, for example, by the user drawing on themouthpiece 152. The presence and/or absence of the user's draw maydetermine whether power is delivered from the battery 124 to the heater166 in order to maintain and/or adjust the temperature of the heater166.

At 2707-N, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is not equalto or greater than the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressuresensor 138. For example, a less than ambient pressure within the airflow path 181 may indicate air being drawn, for example, by the user,into the vaporizer device 100 through the air flow path 181. As such, at2709, the vaporizer device 100 may determine whether the pressure in theair flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is less than theambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 by athreshold amount and for a threshold quantity of samples. For instance,the vaporizer device 100 may determine whether the pressure in the airflow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is less than theambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 by 1.5hectopascals (hPa) for at least 30 samples at a sampling frequency of 50hertz.

At 2709-Y, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is less thanthe ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 by thethreshold amount and for the threshold quantity of samples. For example,the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure in the air flowpath 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is less than the ambientpressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 by 1.5 hectopascals(hPa) for at least 30 samples at a sampling frequency of 50 hertz.Accordingly, at 2710, the vaporizer device 100 may activate the heater166. For instance, to activate the heater 166, the controller 128 mayadjust the first input signal 2670 a from the controller 128 to theheater control circuitry 130 to change the state of the first switch2620 a to enable the battery 124 to discharge to the heating coil 167 ofthe heater 166. As noted, the first input signal 2670 a may be a pulsewidth modulation (PWM) signal. As such, the controller 128 may adjustthe first input signal 2670 a by at least changing a duty cycle of thepulse width modulation signal.

At 2709-N, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is not lessthan the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 bythe threshold amount or for the threshold quantity of samples. Forexample, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure in theair flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is not less thanthe ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 by 1.5hectopascals (hPa) and/or for at least 30 samples at a samplingfrequency of 50 hertz. As such, the process 2700 may resume at operation2707 where the vaporizer device 100 again determines whether thepressure in the air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 isgreater than or equal to the ambient pressure measured by the ambientpressure sensor 138. As noted, the difference between the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 and theambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 mayindicate whether air is being drawn into the vaporizer device 100through the air flow path 181, for example, by the user drawing on themouthpiece 152

At 2707-Y, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is equal to orgreater than the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressuresensor 138. For example, a greater than ambient pressure within the airflow path 181 may indicate that no air being drawn, for example, by theuser, into the vaporizer device 100 through the air flow path 181. Assuch, at 2711, the vaporizer device 100 may determine whether thepressure in the air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 isequal to or greater than the ambient pressure measured by the ambientpressure sensor 138 for a threshold quantity of time. For instance, thevaporizer device 100 may determine whether no air is being drawn by theuser into the vaporizer device 100 through the air flow path 181 for atleast 10 seconds.

At 2711-Y, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is equal to orgreater than the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressuresensor 138 for the threshold quantity of time. For instance, thevaporizer device 100 may determine that the user has not drawn air intothe vaporizer device 100 through the air flow path 181 for at least 10seconds. As such, at 2714, the vaporizer device 100 may transition to astandby mode in which the pressure sensor 137 and/or the ambientpressure sensor 138 operate at a second sampling frequency. In someexample embodiments, when the vaporizer device 100 is in the standbymode, the pressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 mayoperate at an intermediate sampling frequency that is lower than thesampling frequency in the active mode but higher than the samplingfrequency in the deep standby mode. For example, when the vaporizerdevice 100 transitions to the standby mode, the pressure sensor 137and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 may operate at a samplingfrequency of 10 hertz.

At 2711-N, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is not equalto or greater than the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressuresensor 138 for the threshold quantity of time. Accordingly, at 2712, thevaporizer device 100 may remain in the active mode while the pressuresensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 continues to operateat the first sampling frequency. For example, if the vaporizer device100 determines that the lack of air being drawn into the vaporizerdevice 100 through the air flow path 181 has not lasted for at least 10seconds, the vaporizer device 100 may remain in the active mode. Asnoted, while the vaporizer device 100 is in the active mode, thepressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 may operateat a higher sampling frequency (e.g., 50 hertz) than when the vaporizerdevice 100 is in the standby mode and/or the deep standby mode.

Once the vaporizer device 100 transitions to the standby mode atoperation 2714, the process 2700 may continue at operation 2715 at whichthe vaporizer device 100 may determine whether the pressure in the airflow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is less than theambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 by athreshold quantity. For example, the vaporizer device 100 may determinewhether the pressure in the air flow path 181 measured by the pressuresensor 137 is less than the ambient pressure measured by the ambientpressure sensor 138 by at least 1.5 hectopascals (hPa).

At 2715-Y, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is a thresholdquantity less than the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressuresensor 138. For instance, the vaporizer device 100 may determine whetherthe pressure in the air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor137 is at least 1.5 hectopascals less than the ambient pressure measuredby the ambient pressure sensor 138. As such, the process 2700 may resumeat operation 2706 at which the vaporizer device 100 returns to an activemode such that the pressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressuresensor 138 resumes operating at the first sampling frequency. Forexample, when the vaporizer device 100 returns to the active mode, thepressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 may againoperate at a sampling rate of 50 hertz, which may be a higher samplingrate than when the vaporizer device 100 is in the standby mode and/orthe deep standby mode.

At 2715-N, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that the pressure inthe air flow path 181 measured by the pressure sensor 137 is not lessthan the ambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138 bythe threshold quantity. For example, the vaporizer device 100 maydetermine that the pressure in the air flow path 181 measured by thepressure sensor 137 is not at least 1.5 hectopascals less than theambient pressure measured by the ambient pressure sensor 138. As such,at 2717, the vaporizer device 100 may determine whether no motion eventhas been detected for a threshold quantity of time. For instance, thevaporizer device 100 may determine whether no motion has been detectedfor at least 5 seconds. As noted, the vaporizer device 100 may includethe accelerometer 139 (and/or other motion sensors, capacitive sensors,flow sensors, strain gauge(s), or the like) capable of detectingmovement of the vaporizer body 110 including, for example, tapping,rolling, and/or any other deliberate movements. Such movements may beindicative of user interaction with the vaporizer device 100 and maytherefore be interpreted, for example, by the controller 128, as anintention to begin using the vaporizer device 100.

At 2717-N, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that a motion eventhas been detected within the threshold quantity of time. For example,the vaporizer device 100 may detect a movement of the vaporizer body 110including, for example, a tapping, a rolling, and/or any otherdeliberate movements. Accordingly, the vaporizer device 100 may, at2718, remain in a standby mode in which the pressure sensor 137 and/orthe ambient pressure sensor 138 operates at the first samplingfrequency. For instance, while the vaporizer device 100 is in thestandby mode, the pressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor138 may operate at a sampling frequency of 10 hertz, which may be anintermediate sampling frequency that is lower than the samplingfrequency in the active mode but higher than the sampling frequency inthe deep standby mode.

At 2717-Y, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that no motion eventhas been detected for the threshold quantity of time. As such, at 2720,the vaporizer device 100 may transition to a deep standby mode in whichthe pressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 operateat a third sampling frequency. For example, if the vaporizer device 100detects no motion for at least 5 seconds, the vaporizer device 100 maytransition to the deep standby mode. While the vaporizer device 100 isin the deep standby mode, the pressure sensor 137 and/or the ambientpressure sensor 138 may operate at a lower sampling frequency than whenthe vaporizer device 100 is in the active mode and/or the standby mode.For instance, while the vaporizer device 100 is in the deep standbymode, the pressure sensor 137 may operate at a sampling frequency of 1hertz while the ambient pressure sensor 138 may operate at a samplingfrequency of 2 hertz.

While the vaporizer device 100 is in the deep standby mode, thevaporizer device 100 may determine, at 2721, whether a motion event isdetected. At 2721-Y, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that amotion event has been detected. In response to the motion event, theprocess 2700 may resume at operation 2714 such that the vaporizer device100 returns to a standby mode and the pressure sensor 137 and/or theambient pressure sensor 138 resumes operating at the second samplingfrequency. For example, if the vaporizer device 100 detects a motionevent while the vaporizer device 100 is in the deep standby mode, thevaporizer device 100 may return to the standby mode in which thepressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 operates at ahigher sampling frequency (e.g., 10 hertz) than when the vaporizerdevice 100 is in the deep standby mode.

At 2721-N, the vaporizer device 100 may determine that no motion eventhas been detected. In the absence of a motion event, the vaporizerdevice 100 may, at 2722, remain in the deep standby mode in which thepressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 operates atthe third sampling frequency. For instance, if the vaporizer device 100detects no motion while the vaporizer device 100 is in the deep standbymode, the vaporizer device 100 may remain in the deep standby mode.While the vaporizer device 100 remains in the deep standby mode, thepressure sensor 137 and/or the ambient pressure sensor 138 may continueto operate at a lower sampling frequency than when the vaporizer device100 is in the active mode and/or the standby mode. For example, thepressure sensor 137 may operate at a sampling frequency of 1 hertz andthe ambient pressure sensor 138 may operate at a sampling frequency of 2hertz while the vaporizer device 100 is in the deep standby mode.

It should be appreciated that the process 2700 may be an example of aprocess for transitioning the operation mode of the vaporizer device100. Different processes may be implemented for transitioning theoperation mode of the vaporizer device 100.

According to an additional aspect of the current subject matter, avaporizer device may include a vaporizer body including an outer shelldefining an interior region of the vaporizer body. The vaporizer bodymay further include a cartridge receptacle at a proximal end of theouter shell, and wireless communication circuitry positioned within theouter shell and configured to enable communication between the vaporizerbody and a first subset of one or more remote devices. The vaporizerdevice may further include a cartridge configured to connect within thecartridge receptacle. The cartridge may include a reservoir configuredto contain a vaporizable material, a mouthpiece configured to deliver anaerosol comprising the vaporizable material to a user, a heating elementconfigured to heat and cause vaporization of the vaporizable materialinto air drawn into the vaporizer device along an air flow path, and awireless transceiver configured to store data and to communicate with asecond subset of one or more remote devices.

In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed hereinincluding the following features can optionally be included in anyfeasible combination. The wireless communication circuitry may include anear-field communication antenna and a Bluetooth antenna. The vaporizerbody may further include an assembly that includes the wirelesscommunication circuitry and a controller, and a support structureconfigured to support the assembly within the outer shell. The vaporizerbody may further include an antenna window connected to at least aportion of the outer shell and at least partially aligned with theBluetooth antenna. The wireless communication circuitry may receiveoperational instructions from an application running on at least a firstdevice of the first subset, and the controller may be configured toimplement the operational instructions. The wireless transceiver maycommunicate with the second subset prior to the cartridge connecting tothe vaporizer body. The second subset may include at least the vaporizerbody. The data stored on the wireless transceiver may includemanufacturing data relating to the cartridge, filler data relating tothe vaporizable material, and/or usage data relating to use of thecartridge. The usage data may be provided by the vaporizer body. Thecartridge may further include a support structure at a distal endopposite the mouthpiece, and an internal sealing gasket configured tomate with the support structure and isolate the reservoir from thesupport structure. One or more air flow openings may be formed through abottom plate of the support structure, the one or more air flow openingsaligned with one or more respective air inlets formed in the outer shellof the vaporizer body. One or more power pin receptacles may extend froma bottom plate of the support structure for mating with one or morerespective power pins extending from the cartridge receptacle of thevaporizer body. The one or more power pin receptacles may includebuilt-in coil guides for connecting to the heating element. Thevaporizer device may further include one or more absorbent padsconfigured to fit within the support structure off-axis from the airflow path. The wireless transceiver may include near-field communicationcircuitry.

According to an additional, inter-related aspect of the current subjectmatter, a vaporizer body may include an outer shell defining an interiorregion of the vaporizer body, a cartridge receptacle at a proximal endof the outer shell, the cartridge receptacle configured to mate andelectrically connect with a cartridge, and a printed circuit boardassembly positioned within the outer shell. The printed circuit boardassembly may include wireless communication circuity configured toenable communication between the vaporizer body and a subset of one ormore remote devices, the subset including at least the cartridge, and acontroller coupled to the wireless communication circuitry andconfigured to at least identify the cartridge and implement operationalinstructions, the operational instructions received by the wirelesscommunication circuitry from an application running on at least a firstdevice of the subset and/or based on preset configuration parametersassociated with the cartridge.

In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed hereinincluding the following features can optionally be included in anyfeasible combination. The wireless communication circuitry may includeat least a first antenna configured to communicate signals between thevaporizer body and the cartridge, and a second antenna configured tocommunicate signals between the vaporizer device and at least anotherdevice of the subset. The vaporizer body may further include an antennawindow connected to at least a portion of the outer shell and at leastpartially aligned with the second antenna. The printed circuit boardassembly may further include a haptics system configured to generatehaptic feedback in response to at least one control signal received bythe wireless communication circuitry from the application. The printedcircuit board assembly may further include a reset circuit coupled to abattery, the reset circuit configured to shut down the vaporizer body inresponse to a shutdown command received by the wireless communicationcircuitry from the application. The vaporizer body may further include alight pipe including at least one of a plurality of discrete light pipecomponents configured to fit within a portion of the outer shell and tocorrespond to a respective light emitting diode of the printed circuitboard assembly.

According to an additional, inter-related aspect of the current subjectmatter, a cartridge may include a cartridge body including a reservoirconfigured to contain a vaporizable material, a heating elementconfigured to heat and cause vaporization of the vaporizable materialinto air drawn into the cartridge along an air flow path, a supportstructure at a distal end of the cartridge body, and an internal sealinggasket configured to mate with the support structure and isolate thereservoir from the support structure. A mouthpiece may be coupled to aproximal end of the cartridge body opposite the support structure andconfigured to deliver an aerosol including the vaporizable material to auser, where the air flow path extends through the mouthpiece. Amouthpiece seal may be formed around an outer region of the reservoir,the mouthpiece seal providing a barrier between the reservoir and themouthpiece. A wireless transceiver may be coupled to the cartridge bodyand configured to store data and to communicate with one or more remotedevices including at least a vaporizer body to which the cartridgeconnects.

In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed hereinincluding the following features can optionally be included in anyfeasible combination. The cartridge may further include one or more airflow openings formed through a bottom plate of the support structure,the one or more air flow openings aligned with one or more respectiveair inlets formed in an outer shell of the vaporizer body. The internalsealing gasket may mate with upper ends of the air flow openings. Theair flow openings may include filler openings for filling the reservoirwith the vaporizable material. The internal sealing gasket may beconfigured to self-seal after filling. The cartridge may further includeone or more power pin receptacles extending from a bottom plate of thesupport structure, the one or more power pin receptacles configured tomate with one or more respective power pins extending from the vaporizerbody. The one or more power pin receptacles may include coil guides forconnecting to the heating element. The cartridge may further include oneor more absorbent pads configured to fit within the support structureoff-axis from the air flow path. The data stored on the wirelesstransceiver may include manufacturing data relating to the cartridge,filler data relating to the vaporizable material, and/or usage datarelating to use of the cartridge. The filler data may be provided byfilling equipment. The usage data may be provided by the vaporizer body.The cartridge may further include a bottom tank seal formed around abottom region of the support structure.

According to an additional, inter-related aspect of the current subjectmatter, a method may include receiving, by a wireless transceiver of acartridge configured to be coupled to a vaporizer body and from at leastone remote device in wireless communication with the wirelesstransceiver, data characterizing the cartridge; transmitting, by thewireless transceiver and to wireless communication circuitry of thevaporizer body, the data characterizing the cartridge; and configuring,by a controller of the vaporizer body and in response to user activationof the vaporizer body, the vaporizer body to operate consistent with thedata characterizing the cartridge.

In some variations, one or more of the features disclosed hereinincluding the following features can optionally be included in anyfeasible combination. The at least one remote device may includeassembly equipment, and the data may include manufacturing data relatingto the cartridge. The at least one remote device may include fillingequipment configured to fill a reservoir of the cartridge with avaporizable material, and the data may include filler data relating tothe vaporizable material. The configuring may include heating thevaporizable material to a predetermined temperature. The configuring mayinclude delivering a predetermined dose of the vaporizable material. Theat least one remote device may include the vaporizer body, and the datamay include usage data relating to use of the cartridge. The method mayfurther include transmitting the usage data to a user device for displayon the user device. The method may further include receiving, by thewireless communication circuitry of the vaporizer body, operationalinstructions from an application running on a user device.

In some examples, the vaporizable material may include a viscous liquidsuch as, for example a cannabis oil. In some variations, the cannabisoil comprises between 0.3% and 100% cannabis oil extract. The viscousoil may include a carrier for improving vapor formation, such as, forexample, propylene glycol, glycerol, medium chain triglycerides (MCT)including lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, caproic acid, etc.,at between 0.01% and 25% (e.g., between 0.1% and 22%, between 1% and20%, between 1% and 15%, and/or the like). In some variations thevapor-forming carrier is 1,3-Propanediol. A cannabis oil may include acannabinoid or cannabinoids (natural and/or synthetic), and/or a terpeneor terpenes derived from organic materials such as for example fruitsand flowers. For example, any of the vaporizable materials describedherein may include one or more (e.g., a mixture of) cannabinoidincluding one or more of: CBG (Cannabigerol), CBC (Cannabichromene), CBL(Cannabicyclol), CBV (Cannabivarin), THCV (Tetrahydrocannabivarin), CBDV(Cannabidivarin), CBCV (Cannabichromevarin), CBGV (Cannabigerovarin),CBGM (Cannabigerol Monomethyl Ether), Tetrahydrocannabinol, Cannabidiol(CBD), Cannabinol (CBN), Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THCA),Cannabidioloc Acid (CBDA), Tetrahydrocannabivarinic Acid (THCVA), one ormore Endocannabinoids (e.g., anandamide, 2-Arachidonoylglycerol,2-Arachidonyl glyceryl ether, N-Arachidonoyl dopamine, Virodhamine,Lysophosphatidylinositol), and/or a synthetic cannabinoids such as, forexample, one or more of: JWH-018, JWH-073, CP-55940,Dimethylheptylpyran, HU-210, HU-331, SR144528, WIN 55,212-2, JWH-133,Levonantradol (Nantrodolum), and AM-2201. The oil vaporization materialmay include one or more terpene, such as, for example, Hemiterpenes,Monoterpenes (e.g., geraniol, terpineol, limonene, myrcene, linalool,pinene, Iridoids), Sesquiterpenes (e.g., humulene, farnesenes,farnesol), Diterpenes (e.g., cafestol, kahweol, cembrene and taxadiene),Sesterterpenes, (e.g., geranylfarnesol), Triterpenes (e.g., squalene),Sesquarterpenes (e.g., ferrugicadiol and tetraprenylcurcumene),Tetraterpenes (lycopene, gamma-carotene, alpha- and beta-carotenes),Polyterpenes, and Norisoprenoids. For example, an oil vaporizationmaterial as described herein may include between 0.3-100% cannabinoids(e.g., 0.5-98%, 10-95%, 20-92%, 30-90%, 40-80%, 50-75%, 60-80%, etc.),0-40% terpenes (e.g., 1-30%, 10-30%, 10-20%, etc.), and 0-25% carrier(e.g., medium chain triglycerides (MCT)).

In any of the oil vaporizable materials described herein (including inparticular, the cannabinoid-based vaporizable materials), the viscositymay be within a predetermined range. The range may be between, at roomtemperature (23° C.) about 30 cP (centipoise) and 115 kcP(kilocentipoise), between 30 cP and 200 kcP, although higher viscositiesand/or lower viscosities may be implemented as well. For example, theviscosity may be between 40 cP and 113 kcP at room temperature. Outsideof this range, the vaporizable material may fail in some instances towick appropriately to form a vapor as described herein. In particular,it is typically desired that the oil may be made sufficiently thin toboth permit wicking at a rate that is useful with the apparatusesdescribed herein, while also limiting leaking (e.g., viscosities belowthat of ˜40 cP at room temperature might result in problems withleaking).

Although the disclosure, including the figures, described herein maydescribed and/or exemplify these different variations separately, itshould be understood that all or some, or components of them, may becombined.

Although various illustrative embodiments are described above, any of anumber of changes may be made to various embodiments. For example, theorder in which various described method steps are performed may often bechanged in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative embodimentsone or more method steps may be skipped altogether. Optional features ofvarious device and system embodiments may be included in someembodiments and not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description isprovided primarily for exemplary purposes and should not be interpretedto limit the scope of the claims.

When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” anotherfeature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or elementor intervening features and/or elements may also be present. Incontrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directlyon” another feature or element, there are no intervening features orelements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature orelement is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” toanother feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached orcoupled to the other feature or element or intervening features orelements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element isreferred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or“directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are nointervening features or elements present. Although described or shownwith respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so describedor shown can apply to other embodiments. References to a structure orfeature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portionsthat overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items and may beabbreviated as “/”.

Spatially relative terms, such as, for example, “under”, “below”,“lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or operation in addition tothe orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in thefigures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements orfeatures. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both anorientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms“upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal” and the like are usedherein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicatedotherwise.

Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describevarious features/elements (including steps), these features/elementsshould not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicatesotherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/elementfrom another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussedbelow could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a secondfeature/element discussed below could be termed a first feature/elementwithout departing from the teachings provided herein.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless thecontext requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as“comprises” and “comprising” means various components can be co jointlyemployed in the methods and articles (e.g., compositions and apparatusesincluding device and methods). For example, the term “comprising” willbe understood to imply the inclusion of any stated elements or steps butnot the exclusion of any other elements or steps.

As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in theexamples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may beread as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if theterm does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” “or “approximately”may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate thatthe value and/or position described is within a reasonable expectedrange of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may havea value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1%of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (orrange of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10%of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical valuesgiven herein should also be understood to include about or approximatelythat value, unless the context indicates otherwise.

The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way ofillustration and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which thesubject matter may be practiced. As mentioned, other embodiments may beutilized and derived there from, such that structural and logicalsubstitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. Although specific embodiments have been illustratedand described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the samepurpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. Thisdisclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations ofvarious embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and otherembodiments not specifically described herein, are possible.

In the descriptions above and in the claims, phrases such as, forexample, “at least one of” or “one or more of” may occur followed by aconjunctive list of elements or features. The term “and/or” may alsooccur in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwiseimplicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it used,such a phrase is intended to mean any of the listed elements or featuresindividually or any of the recited elements or features in combinationwith any of the other recited elements or features. For example, thephrases “at least one of A and B;” “one or more of A and B;” and “Aand/or B” are each intended to mean “A alone, B alone, or A and Btogether.” A similar interpretation is also intended for lists includingthree or more items. For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, andC;” “one or more of A, B, and C;” and “A, B, and/or C” are each intendedto mean “A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together,B and C together, or A and B and C together.” Use of the term “basedon,” above and in the claims is intended to mean, “based at least inpart on,” such that an unrecited feature or element is also permissible.

The implementations set forth in the foregoing description do notrepresent all implementations consistent with the subject matterdescribed herein. Instead, they are merely some examples consistent withaspects related to the described subject matter. Although a fewvariations have been described in detail herein, other modifications oradditions are possible. In particular, further features and/orvariations can be provided in addition to those set forth herein. Forexample, the implementations described above can be directed to variouscombinations and sub-combinations of the disclosed features and/orcombinations and sub-combinations of one or more features further tothose disclosed herein. In addition, the logic flows depicted in theaccompanying figures and/or described herein do not necessarily requirethe particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. The scope of the following claims may include otherimplementations or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vaporizer body comprising: an outer shellincluding an inner region defined by an outer shell sidewall; a supportstructure configured to fit within the inner region of the outer shell,the support structure comprising a storage region defined by a topsupport structure, a bottom support structure, a bottom cap, and agasket; an integrated board assembly configured to fit within thestorage region of the support structure, wherein the integrated boardassembly comprises: a printed circuit board assembly comprising multiplelayers that form a rigid structure and include an inner, flexible layer;a first antenna integrated at a proximal end of the flexible layer; anda second antenna integrated at a distal end of the flexible layer; apressure sensor coupled to the printed circuit board assembly; whereinthe gasket comprises a gasket sealing ring configured to form a sealwith the pressure sensor to create a sealed chamber; and wherein thepressure sensor is configured to detect a change in pressure in thesealed chamber.
 2. The vaporizer body of claim 1, wherein a planarsurface of the first antenna is oriented parallel to a front plate of aproximal end of the top support structure and the bottom supportstructure when connected.
 3. The vaporizer body of claim 2, wherein thefirst antenna is positioned external to the front plate.
 4. Thevaporizer body of claim 1, wherein the first antenna comprises anear-field communication antenna and the second antenna comprises aBluetooth antenna.
 5. The vaporizer body of claim 1, wherein theintegrated board assembly further comprises: a controller mounted to anouter surface of the printed circuit board assembly.
 6. The vaporizerbody of claim 1, wherein the integrated board assembly furthercomprises: power pins coupled at the proximal end of the flexible layer,the power pins configured to connect to and provide power to acartridge.
 7. The vaporizer body of claim 1, wherein the integratedboard assembly further comprises: a connector printed circuit boardassembly comprising second multiple layers and including the inner,flexible layer, the second multiple layers forming a second rigidstructure, wherein the connector printed circuit board assembly isproximate the distal end of the flexible layer; and a connectorcomponent coupled to the connector printed circuit board assembly andconfigured to couple the vaporizer body with one or more externaldevices.
 8. The vaporizer body of claim 1, further comprising: a batteryconfigured to fit along a portion of the flexible layer proximate thedistal end and coupled to the printed circuit board assembly via aboard-to-board connection.
 9. The vaporizer body of claim 1, wherein thetop support structure includes a first coupling feature; wherein thebottom support structure includes a second coupling feature thatreleasably couples to the first coupling feature to thereby releasablycouple the bottom support structure to the top support structure;wherein the bottom cap includes an inner cap region defined by a capsidewall extending from a cap plate, and wherein the bottom cap isconnected at a distal end of the top support structure and the bottomsupport structure when coupled; wherein the gasket is installed at aproximal end of the top support structure and the bottom supportstructure when coupled; and wherein the storage region is defined by thetop support structure, the bottom support structure, the bottom cap, andthe gasket all being coupled.
 10. The vaporizer body of claim 1, whereina proximal end of the inner region defines a cartridge receptacleconfigured to mate and electrically connect with a cartridge.
 11. Thevaporizer body of claim 1, wherein the gasket is further configured toprovide a seal surrounding power pins, wherein the power pins arecoupled at the proximal end of the flexible layer, the power pinsconfigured to connect to and provide power to a cartridge.
 12. Thevaporizer body of claim 1, wherein a portion of the bottom cap comprisesan antenna window configured to be aligned with the second antenna. 13.The vaporizer body of claim 1, further comprising: one or more lightemitting diodes coupled to the printed circuit board assembly; and alight pipe comprised of a carriage unit and one or more individual lightpipe components releasably attached to the carriage unit, each of theone or more individual light pipe components configured to align with arespective one of the one or more light emitting diodes, wherein each ofthe one or more individual light pipe components are mounted through theouter shell sidewall, and further wherein the carriage unit is discardedupon the one or more individual light pipe components being mounted. 14.The vaporizer body of claim 13, wherein the one or more individual lightpipe components are mounted flush with the outer shell sidewall.
 15. Thevaporizer body of claim 5, further comprising: a haptics systemconfigured to generate haptic feedback in response to at least onecontrol signal from the controller; wherein the haptics system ispositioned within a recess formed on a bottom surface of the top supportstructure and is coupled to the printed circuit board assembly viaspring contacts on the printed circuit board assembly.
 16. The vaporizerbody of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board assembly furthercomprises wireless communication control circuitry configured to enablecommunication between the vaporizer body and a subset of one or moreremote devices through one or more of the first antenna and the secondantenna.
 17. The vaporizer body of claim 1, wherein one or morerespective air inlets are formed in the outer shell sidewall and areconfigured to align with one or more air flow openings in a cartridgecoupled to the vaporizer body.
 18. The vaporizer body of claim 1,wherein the printed circuit board assembly is snap-fitted within thebottom support structure.